Top News Stories of the Week (16 - 22 April, 2018)

First 5G NR Products Receive CE Certificate for Operation in EU

Huawei’s 5G NR products have passed TÜV SÜD's (the European Union's certification authority) strict verification requirements after several rounds of rigorous testing and evaluation. Huawei is now the first company to achieve a CE type-examination certificate (TEC) for its 5G products. Obtaining this EU mandatory certificate indicates that Huawei's 5G products have won official approval for commercial use. It also represents a significant step towards realizing large-scale commercial 5G deployment. Read more...

Maury Microwave Enters the Test & Measurement Instrument Amplifier Business

Maury Microwave has entered the Test & Measurement Instrument Amplifier business. With more than 60 years of experience having designed, manufactured, trained and supported turnkey measurement and modeling device characterization solutions. Their expertise includes specialization in 4G and 5G base station and handset transistor model extraction and validation, RADAR transistor model extraction and validation, 4G, 5G, WiFi and WLAN PA and FEM design and design validation test (DVT), as well as general 50Ω and non-50Ω characterization. Read More.

Molex Collaborates with Ossia to Develop Antennas for Long Range Wireless Charging

Electronic solutions provider, Molex has announced a joint collaboration with wireless solutions pioneer, Ossia, to develop next generation antennas to enable long range wireless power delivery without cables, batteries, line-of-sight, or charging pads. The two companies will develop several new patch antenna designs which will service a variety of commercial applications. Ossia calls their wireless power solution - Cota. Cota wireless power technology can power multiple devices in motion, without a line-of-sight, at a distance. Read more...

Lockheed Martin and Qorvo to Manufacture Radar Systems for the US Military

Lockheed Martin and Qorvo have been working together for the last decade to create trusted source microelectronics for the U.S. military’s top systems. One example is the AN/TPQ-53, or Q-53, counterfire radar. To date, more than 100 systems have been manufactured for the United States Army.

Developed as a replacement for the AN/TPQ-36 and AN/TPQ-37, the Q-53 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar detects, locates and classifies incoming rockets and mortars, allowing time for shelter and counterfire opportunities. The Q-53 is highly mobile and can be set up rapidly to provide counterfire target acquisition. Read more...

NASA Develops Cup Cylindrical Waveguide Antenna

NASA Glenn's cup cylindrical waveguide antenna (CCWA) is a short backfire microwave antenna capable of simultaneously supporting the transmission/reception of two distinct signals having opposite circular polarizations. Short backfire antennas are widely used in mobile satellite communications, tracking, telemetry, and wireless local area networks because of their compactness and excellent radiation characteristics. Read more...

China Running Ahead of US in Global Race to 5G

According to a report published by Analysys Mason, a global telecommunications research firm, China holds a narrow lead in 5G readiness ahead of South Korea and the United States. Underscoring the importance of America maintaining its global wireless leadership, additional research by Recon Analytics found that U.S. 4G leadership drove significant economic benefits. CTIA commissioned both reports. Read more...

Radio over Fiber Transmission Paves the Way for Future 5G-Solutions

CST Global, a Sivers IMA Holdings AB subsidiary, has successfully proven the feasibility of 60 GHz Radio over Fiber (ROF) transmission using the 1270nm wavelength. ROF networks are emerging as a completely new and promising communication paradigm for delivering broadband wireless access services and fronthaul at 60 GHz, relying on the synergy between fixed optical and millimeter wave (mmWave) technologies. CST Global’s research shows that their 60 GHz, ROF, broadband solution is feasible, by combining CST Global’s optical solutions and mmWave technology from Sivers IMA in the future. Read more...

Anokiwave Introduces mm-Wave Silicon ICs with Complete Transmit/Receive Functionality

Anokiwave has launched a new family of multi-function microwave and millimeter-wave Silicon ICs, offering complete transmit/receive functionality with active gain and phase control. The new IC family offers versatile RF blocks that can be used in wide range of applications including SATCOM, RADAR, 5G communications, and sensing. The AWMF-0117 and AWMF-0116 are highly integrated silicon core chip for active steerable antenna arrays (AESA) intended for SATCOM, RADAR and TDD/FDD applications. Read more...

World's First Vehicle Positioning System that Eliminates GPS Blackspots

Cohda Wireless has released the first vehicle positioning system that eliminates GPS blackspots in “Urban Canyons” between high-rise buildings.

The V2X-Locate system uses Cohda’s expertise in developing collision avoidance systems for mines. The vehicle-based system can identify vehicle position to sub-metre accuracy in environments that degrade GPS accuracy, such as tunnels, underground carparks and between high-rise buildings. As well as enhancing current connected vehicles, V2X-Locate delivers a critical component for Connected Autonomous Vehicles, which will require uninterrupted positioning data to safely navigate on roads. Read more...

University of Oklahoma to Develop Antenna Technology for US Navy Radar Systems

A team from University of Oklahoma's Advanced Radar Research Center (ARRC) is developing a new antenna and related technologies for U.S. Navy next-generation radar systems. The center has got a two-year, $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Naval Research. The ARRC research and development program under way is designed to improve the agility and multi-functionality of radio frequency sensors and communication systems, while enabling future implementation on a variety of surfaces and platforms. Read more...

TTM Technologies Completes Acquisition of Anaren for $775 Million

TTM Technologies has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Anaren for $775 Million. The combined company had pro-forma 2017 revenue of $2.9 billion. The acquisition combines TTM’s strength in PCB manufacturing with Anaren’s RF design capability and a product portfolio of unique and proprietary RF components and subsystems for the Aerospace & Defense and Networking/Communication end markets. Read More...

Antenna Measurement System with Robotic Arms to Test Future 5G Communication Systems

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been pioneering antenna measurement methods for decades, but a new antenna measurement system with two robotic arms may be the ultimate innovation, extending measurements to higher frequencies while characterizing antennas faster and more easily than previous NIST facilities. NIST’s new Large Antenna Positioning System (LAPS) has two robotic arms designed to position "smart" or adaptable antennas, which can be mounted on base stations that handle signals to and from huge numbers of devices. Read more...

NEC Uses 28 GHz 5G Base Station to Enable Remote Medical Examination Trials

NEC Corporation is contributing to field trials in remote medical examinations using 5G technology. NEC provided a base station system as part of comprehensive 5G demonstration experiments carried out by NTT DOCOMO, the Wakayama Prefectural Government, and Wakayama Medical University and hosted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Read more...