SoftBank Quantum Computing 5G Network Test Shows Results

Tokyo, Japan — SoftBank Corp. conducted trials using quantum computing technology to optimize wireless base station configurations in Tokyo.

The company reported a 10 percent increase in downlink data communication speeds and up to a 50 percent increase in data communication capacity.

The company used Ising machines to optimize carrier aggregation settings across multiple 5G base stations during the demonstration.

Carrier aggregation enables the simultaneous use of multiple frequency bands for communications.

Establishing carrier aggregation links between base stations creates computational complexity as networks expand, according to the company.

SoftBank cited an example in which selecting two base stations from 10 creates 45 possible combinations, and each combination offers a choice to establish or not establish carrier aggregation links, resulting in a total of 35 trillion possible combinations.

During the trials, SoftBank divided areas of Tokyo with multiple 5G base stations into mesh segments.

The company identified mesh areas capable of simultaneously receiving different frequency signals from multiple base stations as candidates for carrier aggregation. 

Ising machines calculated optimal link combinations to maximize the number of mesh areas where carrier aggregation is possible.

Simulations based on the calculated configurations showed expanded carrier aggregation coverage areas compared to existing methods.

When applied to 5G base stations in specific Tokyo areas, the optimized configuration increased coverage areas and improved average downlink data communication speeds by 10 percent.

The company reported increases in carrier aggregation configuration rates and secondary cell data traffic, which rose by up to 50 percent following implementation.

Secondary cells connect simultaneously with primary cells and are used to expand data communication capacity.

According to SoftBank, the results indicate that utilizing quantum computing to optimize base station settings enables more efficient utilization of radio waves and improved communication performance.

The company plans to examine quantum computing applications for network configuration optimization and operations, aiming to expand the technology across various service domains.

The trials used Ising machines, which are specialized computing systems for combinatorial optimization problems that search for minimum energy states to derive optimal solutions. 

These systems are classified into classical, quantum, and quantum-inspired types and are expected to have applications in logistics and finance sectors.