Gapwaves has announced the completion of the first phase of its 28 GHz active antenna for 5G Applications with integrated chipset and analog beamforming. The antenna incorporates a high-performance filter and a transition from the printed circuit board containing the chipset to the gap waveguide. The company said this design is an iteration of the first prototype presented at Mobile World Congress in February, 2018.
Simulations and measurements using the prototype show good agreement, with high antenna efficiency and low loss. The structure of the active antenna provides excellent thermal performance, according to the company. The architecture of the Gapwaves antenna solution provides a platform to develop millimeter wave products. Future development will include digital beamforming and integration of high-efficiency power amplifiers. The current version of the antenna with integrated chipset will be tested further and demonstrated to potential customers for 5G fixed wireless access applications.
Gapwaves technology and the advantages that can be achieved at 28 GHz received a lot of attention at the MWC Barcelona fair. Their solution is ideal for 5G networks and fixed wireless access solutions. They are now working on a fully digital beamforming antenna specifically for 5G.
