Alpha Networks Launches B5G/Pre-6G Massive MIMO Base Station Development Collaborating with Industry and Research Partners to Strengthen Taiwan’s Independent Capabilities in Advanced Communications Equipment
Alpha Networks Inc. (TWSE: 3380), a leading provider of networking and communications solutions, announced that it is partnering with the Information and Communications Research Laboratories of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Transnet Corporation to jointly advance the “B5G/Pre-6G Public-Network Massive MIMO Radio Unit Project.” With the agreement now signed, the three parties will jointly invest in the development of Massive MIMO radio unit (RU) products and related technologies. Alpha Networks will establish an advanced measurement laboratory for millimeter-wave and sub-6 GHz antenna arrays, strengthening its independent R&D capabilities and measurement technologies for advanced communications equipment.
As mobile communications evolve from 5G toward B5G/Pre-6G, high-definition video, connected vehicles, industrial automation, and artificial intelligence services are driving rapid growth in data traffic. Base stations therefore need to deliver higher transmission performance, greater spectral efficiency, and broader signal coverage. However, advanced base station products used in Taiwan’s public telecommunications networks still rely largely on major international vendors. Establishing independent technologies and a comprehensive supply chain has therefore become a key priority for the development of Taiwan’s communications industry.
The project will integrate key technologies including large-scale antenna arrays, broadband radio-frequency transceivers, three-dimensional beamforming, and multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO). These technologies will enable signals to be delivered rapidly and precisely where needed while supporting more users simultaneously. Potential applications include public networks in metropolitan areas, intelligent transportation, large venues, transportation hubs, campuses, and private enterprise networks.
In addition to improving users’ connectivity experience, the project will employ standardized Open RAN fronthaul interfaces to enhance interoperability between RUs and distributed units (DUs) from different vendors, reducing the integration constraints of closed systems. Telecommunications operators will be able to flexibly select equipment, expand networks, and upgrade functionality according to their needs, accelerating the adoption of new technologies and services. The Massive MIMO RU developed under the project will also play a critical role in radio-frequency transmission within future AI-RAN architectures.
The collaboration will combine Alpha Networks’ experience in product development, system validation, and mass production with the forward-looking communications technologies of ITRI’s Information and Communications Research Laboratories and Transnet Corporation’s capabilities in system integration and field deployment. Together, the partners will develop advanced base station products for public telecommunications networks. Through this industry-research collaboration, Alpha Networks aims to further connect Taiwan’s semiconductor, communications component, and system integration industries; progressively build Taiwan’s independent R&D capabilities for advanced B5G/Pre-6G communications equipment; and enhance the global competitiveness of Taiwan’s communications industry.