Baicells Technologies, a global provider of LTE and 5G network solutions, has announced the availability of its new compact 5G mmWave small cell, the Aurora6449m, developed using the Qualcomm 5G SoC (System on a Chip) solution. Baicells showcased the Aurora 6449m along with other 5G radios like the Aurora 243 and Aurora 452 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2023 from February 27 to March 2.

The Aurora6449m will support the NR (new radio) Bands n257, n258, n260, and n261 and is compliant with 3GPP Release 15, making it possible for the system to be deployed without any sub-6 GHz bands and still interoperate with other existing 3GPP-based 4G/5G networks. Support of these 5G NR bands allows the Aurora6449m platform to be deployed in both public and private network environments and across a number of global market regions. Offering integrated antennas and supporting up to 4 x 100 MHz carriers with up to 1000 users or connected endpoints, the low-power platform offers leading performance, supporting up to 1200 Mbps on a downlink and 90 Mbps on an uplink, to deliver a superior connected experience. 

Out of the box, the Aurora6449m product is configured to operate with Baicells proven Cloudcore 5GCore (5GC) platform or in standalone mode and is managed by the existing OMC, allowing for an easy introduction. Like other Baicells radio access network (RAN) products, the Aurora6449m is user-friendly, designed for easy installation and configuration, allowing a faster time to service.

"Baicells has been evaluating ways to make 5G more accessible to operators of all sizes, not just the tier 1 carriers and large networks," said Bai Wei, Baicells GM of International Markets. "Our Aurora 6449m solution addresses this opportunity and brings another high-performance 5G option to market at an attractive price point. This will help to accelerate 5G deployments by small and medium-sized telecom providers and deliver connectivity that can support next-generation applications for consumers and enterprises."

According to Markets and Markets Research, the global 5G services market already topped $100 Billion in 2022 and expected to surpass $330 Billion by 2027. 

The Aurora 6449 has been wrapping up its final stages of testing and is already in the planning stages for its first trial deployments. General availability is planned for Q2 2023.