ZTE and Airtel Gabon Launch the Industry's First Commercial Deployment of FDD+TDD Massive MIMO Solution

• ZTE and Airtel announced the successful commercial deployment of the industry's first FDD+TDD Massive MIMO solution on Airtel Gabon's live network, which improved site-level THP 107%, capacity 20%, and PRB efficiency 41%. At 2.6 GHz, THP rose 86%, capacity 92%, and PRB efficiency 60%

Libreville, Gabon, October 13, 2026—ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a leading global provider of integrated information and communication technology solutions, in partnership with Airtel Group, today announced the successful commercial deployment of the industry's first FDD+TDD Massive MIMO solution on Airtel Gabon's live network. This cooperation milestone between the two companies marks a critical step in Gabon's network evolution and lays a solid foundation for the country's future 5G development.

Accelerating Gabon's Digital Transformation and 5G Rollout

Driven by the rapid growth of mobile broadband services and increasing demand for digital applications such as digital finance, e-government, online education, cloud services, and digital entertainment, Gabon is accelerating the development of its digital infrastructure.

Meanwhile, operators are facing growing challenges in expanding network capacity, improving coverage, enhancing spectrum efficiency, and reducing energy consumption while maintaining an excellent user experience. These evolving requirements call for more innovative and efficient wireless technologies capable of maximizing existing network resources and supporting future service evolution.

To address these challenges, ZTE and Airtel Gabon jointly introduced the innovative FDD+TDD Massive MIMO solution, helping accelerate 4G network evolution while preparing the network for future 5G services.

Significant Network Performance Improvement Achieved

ZTE's FDD+TDD Massive MIMO solution integrates FDD and TDD bands into a single AAU to maximize spectrum utilization, boost network capacity, streamline deployment and improve energy efficiency. The solution also enables multi-band coordination and intelligent network resource optimization, allowing operators to fully leverage existing spectrum assets while establishing a smooth evolution path toward 5G.

Following the deployment, Airtel Gabon's live network has achieved significant gains across key performance indicators. Compared with the previous network configuration, FDD+TDD Massive MIMO delivered a 107% improvement in user throughput (THP), a 20% increase in traffic capacity, and a 41% improvement in PRB utilization efficiency at the site level. At 2.6 GHz layer level, the solution further delivered an 86% improvement in user throughput (THP), a 92% increase in traffic capacity, and a 60% improvement in PRB utilization efficiency, demonstrating the significant benefits in enhancing both network performance and spectrum efficiency.

Joint Commitment to Future Innovation

Razvan Ungureanu, CTO of Airtel Africa, stated, "This state-of-the-art FDD+TDD AAU deployment demonstrates the value of our collaboration with ZTE and our commitment to delivering superior digital experiences to our customers. The solution significantly enhances spectrum efficiency and network capacity, resulting in substantial improvements in network performance and user experience. We look forward to further strengthening our partnership with ZTE and accelerating network evolution toward a high-performance and future-ready 5G network."

Lv Xun, MD of ZTE Airtel Global Account, said, "The successful commercial deployment of FDD+TDD Massive MIMO with Airtel Gabon represents an important milestone in our cooperation. The solution significantly enhances spectrum efficiency and improves user experience, enabling higher network capacity and better service performance. ZTE remains committed to continuously delivering innovative wireless solutions and supporting Airtel Gabon in building a high-performance and future-ready network."

As the first wireless project jointly delivered by ZTE and Airtel Gabon, the successful deployment of FDD+TDD Massive MIMO solution reflects both companies' shared commitment to driving network innovation and delivering high-quality digital connectivity. By combining ZTE's leading wireless technologies with Airtel Gabon's strong operational expertise, both parties are working together to build a more intelligent, efficient, and future-ready mobile network.

Furthermore, this deployment strengthens the long-standing strategic partnership between ZTE and Airtel. Together, the two companies will accelerate the development of digital infrastructure in the African market by delivering smarter, greener, and more efficient connectivity solutions, creating greater value for end users, supporting sustainable industry development, and contributing to ongoing digital transformation.