Latest 5G RF & Microwave News Stories

U.S. Department of Defense Allocates $600 Million for 5G Experimentation and Testing

The United States Department of Defense has allocated $600 million for 5G experimentation and testing at five U.S. military test sites, representing the largest full-scale 5G tests for dual-use applications in the world. Each installation will partner with military services, industry leaders, and academic experts to advance the department’s 5G capabilities. Projects will include piloting 5G-enabled augmented/virtual reality for mission planning and training, testing 5G-enabled Smart Warehouses, and evaluating 5G technologies to enhance distributed command and control.

The test sites include: Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia; Naval Base San Diego, California; and Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada. Click here to read more.

NXP RF Airfast Multi-Chip Modules Support the 5G Rollout in Japan

NEC Corporation has selected NXP Semiconductors to supply their RF Airfast Multi-chip Modules to be used in a Massive MIMO 5G antenna Radio Unit (RU) for Rakuten Mobile, one of Japan’s leading mobile network operators.

NEC’s Massive MIMO 5G Antenna RU features a 5G open virtual radio access network (vRAN) interface and has been adopted by Rakuten Mobile for its fully virtualized cloud-native mobile network. The RU utilizes extremely accurate digital beam forming for efficient high-capacity transmission and is easy to install as a result of miniaturization achieved through an increased level of circuit integration. Click here to read more.

R&S Introduces Location Based Services with Assisted-GPS and 5G NR FR2 mmW Performance Testing

Rohde & Schwarz, a leader in 5G-NR and Location Based Services (LBS) test and measurement, has verified Assisted-GPS (AGPS) performance in a commercial mobile device, while simultaneously transferring data using 5G millimeter wave (mmW). This capability is now available with the R&S TS-LBS Location-Based Services test system. When used together in the TS-LBS test system, the R&S CMX500 radio communication tester and R&S CMW500 wideband radio communication tester provide a seamless and comprehensive test platform capable of testing LTE, 5G-NR FR1, and FR2, while the R&S SMBV100B vector signal generator simulates the GPS L1 & L5, GALILEO, GLONASS & BEIDOU satellite constellations for A-GNSS.

5G-NR utilizes frequencies in the FR1 frequency range (<7.125 GHz) and in the FR2 mmW frequency range (>24 GHz). FR2 creates unique challenges for mobile devices in terms of power consumption and heat. With FR2 becoming more common in North American mobile devices, the performance of critical services such as E911 emergency calls cannot be allowed to degrade when utilizing this mmW spectrum. Other positioning technologies that use barometric pressure sensors, WiFi, and/or Bluetooth are also available in the same solution. Legacy technologies like GSM, WCDMA, and LTE are all supported using the same hardware. Click here to read more.

Fujikura Introduces High-Performance 5G mmWave Phased Array Antenna Module

Fujikura announced the introduction of their advanced and highly integrated Phased Array Antenna Module (PAAM) for 5G mmWave operating in 3GPP bands n257 (28 GHz), n258 (26 GHz) and n261 (27 GHz). The Fujikura PAAM is a high-performance module targeting indoor and outdoor applications such as 5G mmWave Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), 5G mmWave Mobile Wireless Access (MWA), 5G mmWave wireless backhaul, and other emerging applications.

The Fujikura PAAM is a high-performance phased array antenna module with a novel integrated antenna, and supports concurrent dual polarized beams in both transmission and reception. The PAAM integrates best-in-class mmWave-ICs developed in-house using an industry leading SiGe BiCMOS process. The PAAM features extremely low noise figure (NF) characteristics and enables a large link margin for expanded coverage. Tunable true-time-delay-type phase shifters support precise and independent phase and amplitude control over a wide frequency range. The unique phase shifter not only enables simple beam-steering control which allows accurate beam steering with fine resolution, but also allows calibration-free operation making PAAM installation much easier. The phase shifter also maintains the transmitted or received signals undistorted by providing invariant group delay and unchanged beam direction in a wide frequency range. Click here to read more.

Keysight's New 5G Base Station Test Solution Accelerates Design Validation of mmWave Small Cells

Keysight Technologies has announced a new high-performance 5G base station test solution, based on their S9130A 5G Performance Multi-Band Vector Transceiver (VXT), that enables network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) and small cell vendors to accelerate validation of mmWave products according to the latest 3GPP specifications.

Mobile operators are deploying 5G new radio (NR) in the frequency range 2 (FR2) to deliver enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) connectivity in metropolitan areas and indoor environments such as stadiums and airports. Rapid deployment of a heterogeneous network, consisting of macro base stations, small cell infrastructure, radio units (RUs), and distributed antenna systems (DAS), depends on streamlined testing across the workflow. Keysight has extended the company’s suite of 5G base station test solutions, initially launched in 2018, to meet a growing need for cost-effective 5G mmWave test and validation. Click here to read more.

Akoustis Ships its Fourth XBAW Filter Solution to a Tier-1 5G Small Cell Customer

Akoustis Technologies, an integrated device manufacturer (IDM) of patented bulk acoustic wave (BAW) high-band RF filters for mobile and other wireless applications, announced that it has shipped a fourth XBAW filter solution to an existing tier-1 5G small cell network infrastructure customer. The Company expects this new filter solution to enter commercial production in the first half of calendar 2021. This fourth XBAW filter solution operates within the new radio (NR) band n79 spectrum and follows the Company’s two design wins in-band n77 and one design win in-band n79 with its tier-1 5G small cell network infrastructure customer.

5G small cell base stations are low power, short-range cellular transmission devices, capable of providing extended coverage for consumers, enterprises, or to augment cellular coverage for 5G mobile service providers. They offer all the standard characteristics of a traditional tower base station and can handle high data throughput. 5G networks are expected to employ small cells in greater quantity than prior networks to help mitigate the shorter wavelengths associated with higher frequencies. In an April 2019 report, Zion Market Research estimated the global small cell 5G network market was valued at around $381 million in 2018 and is expected to reach approximately $3.5 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of approximately 37% between 2019 and 2025. Click here to read more.

LitePoint's 5G NR FR2 mmWave System Delivers Test Capability for Small Cell Base Stations

LitePoint, a leading provider of wireless test solutions, has introduced the IQgig-5G™ test system that delivers test capability for small cell base stations. Small cell base stations enhance mobile connectivity with better network coverage and higher capacity. Demand for 5G small cell base stations is growing in indoor residential and office environments as well as in high-density areas.

To address the emerging small cell base station market, LitePoint has updated the IQgig-5G test system to provide comprehensive non-signaling test coverage of small cell base stations. The test system enables small cell waveform generation and analysis and 5G millimeter wave radio technologies. The tester provides an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) and allows for real-time RF parametric analysis for small cell products. Click here to read more.

mmWave 5G Expected to Add $150 Billion to India’s GDP from 2025-2040

5G networks offer the potential to transform industrial sectors and deliver significant social and economic benefits in India. To make the most of this opportunity, access to millimeterWave (mmWave) spectrum is key. The importance of how mmWave spectrum for 5G can help transform India is highlighted in a new report from the GSMA entitled “The Impact of mmWave 5G in India.” 

“In order for India to realize socio-economic benefits and foster the adoption of the most technologically advanced 5G use cases, the government should make the spectrum release timeline available to industry stakeholders as soon as possible,” said Manoj Misra, Senior Public Policy Director, GSMA, India. Click here to read more.

The iPhone 12 Supports 5G Speeds of Up to 4 Gbps, However Challenges Remain

Apple has integrated 5G technology into the newly announced iPhone 12 series. At the launch event, Apple demonstrated a fast speed up to 4 Gbps on the iPhone 12 Pro, even when networks are crowded. The news certainly sends a positive signal to the 5G industry, but many challenges still need to be overcome for 5G to become ubiquitous.

NEC and Analog Devices Collaborate to Develop 5G O-RAN Massive MIMO Antenna Radio Unit

NEC Corporation and Analog Devices (ADI) announced that they have teamed up to design a 5G Network Massive MIMO Antenna Radio Unit for Rakuten Mobile. The radio unit adopts ADI’s fourth-generation wideband RF transceiver solution to achieve high precision Massive MIMO and possesses a 5G open vRAN (virtual RAN) interface corresponding to Rakuten Mobile’s end-to-end fully virtualized cloud-native mobile network. 

It delivers large capacity transmission with high efficiency by using 3.7 GHz frequency Massive MIMO and digital beamforming technology. The cloud-native virtual network heralds a major shift in how communications providers can offer high-speed internet access worldwide, at significantly lower costs, made possible without the maintenance, upkeep, repair, and labor costs associated with the physical infrastructure that hinders conventional networks. NEC has already started shipping the 5G Network Massive MIMO Antenna Radio Unit to Rakuten Mobile. Click here to read more.

Ericsson's 2020 Microwave Outlook Report Addresses Steps to Enhance 5G Deployment

Ericsson has released the Ericsson Microwave Outlook 2020 report that provides insight and trends up until 2025. With the increasing transport demands from the switch on of 5G, the report also discusses how to deal with scattered spectrum and new ways of planning with differentiated availability and multi-band booster.

5G is here, meaning that backhaul capacity requirements will increase for Radio Access Network (RAN) sites. In 2025, the needs in urban areas will vary from 3Gbps to 20Gbps, as communications service providers deploy different amounts of New Radio (NR) spectrum and advanced RAN features. In rural areas, it could vary from as much as 300Mbps to 2Gbps in 2025. Click here to read more.

Verizon, Ericsson and Qualcomm Achieve Peak 5G Speed of 5.06 Gbps

Verizon, Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies have demonstrated 5G peak speeds of 5.06 Gbps. Using 5G mmWave spectrum with carrier aggregation, a technology that combines multiple channels of the spectrum to provide greater efficiency for data sessions transmitting over the wireless network, the companies combined eight separate channels of the spectrum to achieve the multi-gigabit speeds.

When fully mature, 5G technology has the potential of reaching speeds up to 10 Gbps, latency under 5 milliseconds, and service deployment times of 90 minutes. It will allow mobile connections at speeds of up to 500 km/h with the ability to manage over a million devices per km² and data volumes of 10 Tb/s/km². Verizon and its collaborators are driving hard to maximize the potential of this developing technology. Click here to read more.

Holzworth Extends its Phase Noise Analyzer Portfolio to 50 GHz for 5G and Radar Applications

The Wireless Telecom Group has announced the introduction of the Holzworth HA7063A Downconverter, which extends the capabilities of the Phase Noise Analyzer product portfolio to 50 GHz. The new downconverter solution was specifically designed to address measurement needs of high frequency, wide bandwidth 5G, and radar applications as well as seamlessly integrate with the Holzworth HA7000 Series Real-Time Phase Noise Analyzers, enabling both new and existing customers to unlock this extended performance and capability. The HA7063A delivers phase noise and RMS jitter measurements in real-time while providing ultra-low-noise measurement floors all within a compact form factor and an optimized price point.

The HA7063A Downconverter utilizes a unique heterodyne architecture that optimizes measurement noise floors across its entire frequency range, providing both absolute and additive (residual) phase noise measurement capability. The frequency extension enables the expansion of Holzworth Real-Time Phase Noise Analyzers with the distinctive ability to actually measure and quantify the noise floor of the instrument itself. Competitive products merely offer approximated noise floor information that can only be derived while measuring a device under test. The HA7000 Series utilizes high-speed digital processors and unparalleled front-end analog performance to provide a high level of accuracy and acquisition speed, as well as uncompromised performance and data repeatability. The HA7063A’s integration with the HA7000 Real-Time Phase Noise Analyzers is controlled through a single, highly intuitive user interface for simple operation. Click here to read more.

Quik-Pak Introduces RF-Capable Air-cavity QFN Packages for Millimeter-Wave Applications

Quik-Pak, together with Agile Microwave Technology (AgileMwT) and OMMIC SA, announced its line of JEDEC-compliant Air-cavity QFN packages. The Quik-Pak open-molded plastic packages (OmPP) are RF-capable to data rates of 43 GHz, which will help speed availability of semiconductor devices for 5G and internet of things (IoT) millimeter-wave applications. The packages are available now from Quik-Pak as both off-the-shelf and custom offerings.

Each company contributed core technology to the project: Quik-Pak’s OmPP air-cavity open-molded QFN packages, AgileMwT’s interconnect design and test capabilities, and OMMIC’s millimeter-wave monolithic microwave IC (MMIC) gallium nitride (GaN)-based design and manufacturing processes. The team completed the electrical RF characterization of the OMMIC die and Quik-Pak OmPP package and confirmed 5G-capable frequencies. Click here to read more.