MediaTek announced a joint achievement with Samsung in which the two companies completed the industry’s first test of a 3Tx 5-layer uplink configuration. The test utilized MediaTek’s M90 5G modem platform together with Samsung’s virtualized RAN (vRAN), Massive-MIMO radios (MMU), and Macro radios.
The demonstration used a multi-band setup with n66 (1.7 GHz) as the primary cell and dual n77 (3.7 GHz) carriers across five uplink layers. The n66 band operated with 30 MHz bandwidth, while the n77 bands used a total of 200 MHz, resulting in a total uplink throughput of 670 Mbps. This builds on an earlier 3Tx advancement.
The configuration is intended to strengthen Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) performance through higher uplink peak speeds and to support richer cloud and immersive experiences. The combination of MediaTek’s chipset platform and Samsung’s network solutions optimizes resource allocation across multiple frequency bands and supports simultaneous multi-user operation. Samsung’s software-based vRAN provides flexibility and scalability, while its radios deliver coverage and capacity with minimized interference. The Massive-MIMO units improve spectral efficiency through advanced MIMO technology.
"This successful validation with Samsung represents a transformative milestone for the MediaTek 5G platform," said Dr. HC Hwang, General Manager of Wireless Communication Systems & Partnerships at MediaTek. "As the needs for ultra-high-resolution cloud applications continue to surge, this technology will be a key driver for next-generation industry innovation."
"By achieving another industry-first milestone in collaboration with MediaTek, Samsung continues to set the pace for enhanced uplink performance through advanced configurations," said Dongwoo Lee, Head of Technology Solution Group, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. "This joint test demonstrates exceptional speeds that translate into unparalleled user experiences and reliable, constant connectivity. These gains have the potential to revolutionize industries and consumer usage alike."
The 3Tx antenna technology and 5-layer uplink architecture with Samsung’s network solutions were validated for improved spectral efficiency and transmission performance, supporting low-latency connectivity for data-intensive activities.
