By Shane McClelland, Head of Account Solutions, Ericsson
Note: This blog was produced under WIA’s Innovation and Technology Council (ITC). The ITC is the forum for forecasting the future of the wireless industry. Participants explore developments in the wider wireless industry, from 5G network monetization trends and streamlining infrastructure deployment to future spectrum needs and cell site power issues. The group is publishing a series of thought-leadership pieces throughout 2025. These views are not a WIA endorsement of a particular company, product, policy or technology.
Downlink is King?
Traditionally, most mobile subscribers consume more data than they create and upload. The applications we all rely on, like streaming video and music, browsing the web, downloading apps, and consuming rich content on social media all require significant downlink capacity. In contrast, mobile subscriber uplink activities like social media posts, sending text messages or e-mails have historically required less bandwidth.
Based on this typical mobile subscriber data consumption behavior, mobile network operators (MNOs) have worked diligently to provide a great user experience. As such, mobile networks are often designed with more resources allocated for downlink than uplink because of the asymmetrical nature of data consumption. This allows operators to maximize the efficiency of their spectrum assets.
Since the volume of downlink data traffic is typically much greater than uplink traffic, MNOs have rightfully invested in technologies like downlink carrier aggregation, massive MIMO, and beamforming all used to enhance downlink performance.
They have designed and deployed their radio access networks (RAN) to optimize downlink capacity because it aligns with customer demand for high-quality content delivery and the performance to handle higher data rates, which results in increased quality of experience and customer retention.
But, user behavior is changing …
While MNOs continue to prioritize and optimize downlink traffic, a significant business opportunity for MNOs and wireless infrastructure providers exists in the opposite direction … the Uplink!
Some recent fun facts:
- While overall traffic has grown year-over-year during the last five Super Bowls by 47%, uplink traffic has grown by an astounding 102%.
- A typical mobile broadband (eMBB) user generates 1 to 3GB of uplink (UL) traffic per month, but a typical Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) subscriber can generate 10 to 100+GB of UL traffic per month, depending on usage patterns.
- The surge in video conferencing has led to a 40% increase in uplink traffic.
In recent years, changes in mobile subscriber behavior and usage patterns have contributed to the growing importance of RAN uplink performance. The following trends are influencing how MNOs approach uplink capacity and optimization:
- Growth of user-generated content
- Persistence of remote work and video conferencing
- Cloud services for content storage and backup
- Live streaming and broadcasts
- Industry digitalization and the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and applications
- Multiplayer and interactive mobile gaming
- Advent of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) for interactive experiences
As these trends mature, mobile network operators are increasingly focused on optimizing uplink performance to meet the changing demands of subscribers. This involves investing in technologies that optimize the uplink performance, re-evaluating network designs, and finding deployment locations that enhance uplink capacity and efficiency, ensuring a premium mobile experience.
Bring on the Uplink!
As mobile subscriber behaviors and usage patterns continue to evolve and uplink performance becomes increasingly important, RAN system suppliers continue to bring advanced RAN technologies to market so MNOs can meet mobile subscriber demand for high-quality uplink connections. MNOs use several RAN technologies to enhance uplink performance for their subscribers. Here are five key technologies that contribute significantly to improving uplink connections:
- Massive MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) Radios and Advanced Antenna Systems (AAS): Massive MIMO involves using a large number of antennas at the base station to serve multiple users simultaneously. AAS improves uplink performance by optimizing the antenna configuration for better signal reception and transmission, leading to enhanced coverage and capacity. This technology improves uplink performance by increasing spectral efficiency and spatial diversity, allowing for better signal quality and higher data rates. MMIMO/AAS systems require new thinking in RAN design and deployments as compared to classic radios with passive antennas.
- Beamforming: Beamforming is a signal processing technique used in conjunction with MIMO systems to focus the radio signal in specific directions. By directing the signal toward the user, beamforming enhances uplink performance by improving signal strength and reducing interference, which leads to higher data throughput and more reliable connections.
- Carrier Aggregation (CA): Carrier aggregation involves combining multiple frequency bands to increase the bandwidth available for data transmission. CA in the uplink means users can achieve higher data rates by utilizing more spectrum resources, enhancing uplink performance and capacity.
- Advanced RAN software: Features like Uplink Single-User MIMO, Advanced interference rejections cancellation (IRC), balanced TDD pattern and FDD Massive MIMO are being implemented in the RAN all to increase efficiency of data transmission in the uplink.
As the demand for interactive and immersive data-intensive applications continues to grow, operators are investing in these and other advanced technologies to meet user expectations for speed and reliability in uplink communications.
The opportunity … how uplink traffic impacts wireless infrastructure providers
Enabling MNOs to design and deploy RAN technologies that optimize uplink performance can be a great opportunity for wireless infrastructure providers. Optimizing uplink performance can influence tenant demand, lease pricing, infrastructure investments, and overall market positioning. Locations with superior uplink capabilities can command higher lease rates, while poor uplink performance may necessitate additional investments in assets like fiber, edge computing, or neutral-host solutions. Urban deployments may require denser networks, while rural areas benefit from optimized tower placement and higher-gain antennas. Additionally, neutral-host models that prioritize uplink performance can attract more tenants, and regulatory pressures may push for improved rural coverage. Ultimately, tower companies that proactively enhance uplink capabilities will differentiate themselves, securing long-term operator partnerships in the evolving 5G landscape.
Creating value – high performance RAN uplink drives monetization
We know that facilitating deployment of advanced technologies such as MMIMO, beamforming, AAS, etc. require specific configurations and placements to maximize their effectiveness. However, as an industry, we’ve typically viewed RAN site deployment options with a bias toward optimizing downlink performance. Taking a fresh look at these deployment options from an uplink perspective might reveal entirely new business opportunities.
- Premium uplink tower space: Wireless infrastructure providers can capitalize on this need by offering premium tower space specifically tailored for technologies like Massive MIMO and Active Antenna Systems. Proper placement of these radio assets ensures antennas have a clear line of sight, maximizing coverage and minimizing dead zones caused by obstacles like buildings and trees. This strategic placement also improves beamforming efficiency, allowing antennas to precisely steer signals to areas with concentrated users, enhancing signal quality. By mitigating interference through optimal antenna orientation, tower companies can boost network reliability and performance, offering MNOs superior solutions that cater to environmental factors and antenna design requirements.
- Uplink optimized street-level sites: Beyond traditional tower locations, street-level RAN sites provide another avenue for tower companies to enhance uplink performance. These sites bring infrastructure closer to users, reducing path loss and improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for clearer transmissions. In densely populated urban areas, street-level sites can effectively distribute network load and fill coverage gaps, particularly where macro sites may struggle due to lower transmission power from user devices. They also facilitate the deployment of advanced technologies like Massive MIMO and beamforming, which require precise placement for maximum effectiveness. By ensuring consistent coverage for mobile users shifting between environments, street-level sites form a critical part of a comprehensive strategy to meet user expectations for reliability and speed.
- Superior RAN uplink indoors: Indoor RAN deployments further underscore the importance of strategic placement for optimal uplink performance. Building materials often attenuate radio signals, which can degrade signal quality. Deploying spectrum inside buildings overcomes these obstacles, providing strong and reliable connectivity for indoor users, particularly in high-density urban environments. This targeted capacity helps manage uplink demand and reduce network congestion, improving data rates and reducing errors. Indoor solutions also support specific enterprise use cases like IoT and public-safety networks. For tower companies, enabling MNOs to deploy spectrum inside buildings is a valuable proposition that aligns with the broader goal of ensuring uplink performance meets evolving user expectations for speed, coverage, and reliability.
- New site locations focused on RAN uplink performance: Finding new optimal locations can also play a crucial role in supporting high-performance uplink by addressing limitations in coverage, capacity, and existing infrastructure. In areas with inadequate coverage, especially rural or remote regions, new sites focused on uplink connectivity enable additional capacity to handle growing user demand and prevent congestion that can degrade performance. Moreover, they support emerging applications such as IoT, AR/VR, and 5G, which demand enhanced uplink capabilities. By offering redundancy and alternative signal paths, new site builds optimized for RAN uplink improve network reliability, minimizing the impact of outages or failures on uplink performance.
Conclusion
The increasing demand for robust RAN uplink performance represents a significant opportunity for wireless infrastructure providers and tower companies to further monetize their assets. As MNOs strive to enhance uplink capacity and reliability to support emerging applications such as live streaming, remote work, IoT deployments, and user-generated content, the need for expanded and uplink-optimized network infrastructure becomes increasingly important.
The shift toward data-intensive uplink applications underscores the importance of adaptable and forward-thinking infrastructure strategies. As the digital landscape evolves, those who proactively invest in and optimize their assets will be best positioned to capture new revenue streams and remain competitive.
Wireless infrastructure providers and tower companies are uniquely positioned to capitalize on this trend by offering strategic solutions that address the challenges of uplink traffic. By reassessing the value of offerings from an uplink perspective, wireless infrastructure companies can provide critical support to network operators seeking to meet evolving consumer demands.
The post The importance of RAN uplink performance and its impact on wireless infrastructure appeared first on Wireless Infrastructure Association.
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