Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (23-27 April, 2018)

5G Technology to Boost Production of Jet Engine Components

Ericsson and the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology have teamed up to explore and develop industrial applications of 5G. The first use case for production of jet engine components for MTU Aero Engines is currently being evaluated and is presented at the Hanover Fair in Germany.

They decided to evaluate the use of 5G technology in the production of blade integrated disks (blisk). These are high-tech components where the disk and blades are produced as a single piece and serve the purpose of compressing the air inside jet engines. They are milled out of solid pieces of metal and have extremely high requirements towards accuracy and surface integrity. Click here to read more.

Integra to Exhibit its GaN/SiC Transistors at IMS 2018

Integra Technologies will be exhibiting at this year’s International Microwave Symposium, from 12-14 June, 2018 in Philadelphia.

Integra will be exhibiting the IGT5259L50, a fully-matched, GaN/SiC transistor, offering 50 Watts from 5 - 6 GHz, designed for pulsed C-band radar applications. They will also be exhibiting IGN1214L500B, a high-power GaN-on-SiC HEMT transistor, that supplies 500 Watts from 1.2 - 1.4 GHz with 15.5 dB gain and 65% efficiency from a 50V drain bias. This transistor is designed for L-band radar long-pulse applications.

Along with these products, Integra will be featuring upcoming products to be released in the future, at C and X-bands (going higher in frequency) and in terms of pallets (2000W, going higher in power). Click here to read more.

Nokia and NTT DOCOMO Conducting 5G Trials in the 90 GHz Band

At the Brooklyn 5G Summit, Nokia and NTT DOCOMO are showcasing 5G technology innovations that will deliver massive-capacity to address the increased demand in video data and other applications.

They are working together to create technologies that will support the delivery of enhanced mobile broadband applications for 5G. The widespread availability of applications such as real-time virtual and augmented reality video will enable new capabilities for both industries and consumers. Delivery will rely on ultra-responsive networks with massive wireless capacity in dense deployment scenarios. Click here to read more.

Gunshot Detection System Uses Bluetooth to Notify First Responders When Bullet-Proof Vest is Pierced

Nordic Semiconductor has announced that DataSoft Corporation, a Tempe, AZ-based low power wireless solutions company, has employed Nordic’s Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) nRF52832 SoC in its ‘Automatic Injury Detection’ (AID) solution. The solution consists of a wireless sensor integrated into ‘man-down’ vest for law enforcement and military applications.

According to DataSoft, AID is the world’s first wearable gunshot detection system. The AID panel features a thin film sensor with an encased conductive ink trace inside the body armor that detects any piercing event to the wearer’s front or back, such as the impact of a bullet, knife, or shrapnel. Click here to read more.

Keysight Software Enables Creation of Realistic Modelling and Simulation Scenarios for 5G RF Systems

Keysight tools are helping the China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. (CMCC) to develop 5G technologies that will enable China's largest mobile operator to perform 5G Radio Frequency (RF) modelling and simulation.

Keysight’s SystemVue enables the China Mobile to create realistic modelling and simulation scenarios of 5G RF systems to determine relevant performance metrics to apply to its network. CMCC is a leading mobile operator driving 5G commercialization in China and is actively contributing to the 5G standardization process in the 3GPP standards body. CMCC uses SystemVue to build end-to-end system level simulation that involves 5G Baseband, RF, Antenna, as well as Wireless Channel Modeling. These simulations have helped CMCC achieve desired results in standardization contributions, 5G specification, and application development. Click here to read more.

Keysight Opens Millimeter-Wave Research Lab at Queen’s University Belfast

Keysight Technologies has opened a new millimetre-wave research lab at Queen’s University Belfast in the UK. The lab, which can accommodate 60 researchers, students and engineers, is located in the Centre for Wireless Innovation at the University’s Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT).

Executing a market driven, innovative approach, ECIT works closely with world-leading companies and entrepreneurs to establish the lab’s research objectives focusing on the future of a digital society. Click here to read more.

Sequans’ Monarch LTE Chip Validated for use on SoftBank's Cat M1 in Japan

equans has announced that SoftBank, a leading telecommunications operator in Japan, has validated Sequans’ Monarch LTE-M/NB-IoT Platform for use on its nationwide network for LTE Cat M1.

The validation of Monarch's LTE-M/NB-IoT Platform follows months of stringent testing with SoftBank’s network equipment. Validation on the SoftBank network proves Monarch’s reliability and technological excellence as an LTE chip solution. Sequans’ Monarch LTE platform is the first and most highly optimized LTE-M/NB-IoT chip. Monarch integrates baseband, RF, power management and RAM in a single die. Its advanced features include ultra low power consumption in active and sleep/idle modes, and unique RF filtering technology that enables a true single, worldwide SKU with multi-band support for universal and flexible IoT implementation.  Click here to read more.

Audi, Ford & Qualcomm to Demonstrate C-V2X Direct Communications Interoperability

The world's first Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) direct communications technology operating across vehicles from different manufacturers was demonstrated recently. The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) along with Audi, Ford Motor and Qualcomm Technologies jointly showcased the demonstration.

C-V2X is a global solution for V2X communications to support improved automotive safety, automated driving, and traffic efficiency, and is the only V2X technology based on globally recognized 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications with ongoing evolution designed to offer forward compatibility with 5G, and leveraging upper layer protocols defined by the automotive industry, including Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) organizations. Click here to read more.

LTE & 5G Fixed Wireless Broadband Market to Generate $45.2 billion in 2022

The worldwide fixed wireless broadband market has been growing steadily over the past several years. Early 5G fixed wireless broadband access is likely to be focused in dense urban areas and roll out in rural areas when 5G is widely launched commercially. ABI Research forecasts worldwide fixed wireless broadband market to grow at CAGR 26% to generate $45.2 billion in 2022.

ABI Research also forecasted that the global fixed wireless broadband market will grow 30% in 2018 and will generate US$18 billion in service revenue. As 5G fixed wireless broadband access is set to be launched in North America in 2018, it is set to expand and provide consumers with better quality service in the years to come. Click here to read more.

Blighter to Provide E-scan Radars for India’s Border Security Pilot

British manufacturer of e-scan radars, Blighter Surveillance Systems, has reported its first sale in India of the Blighter B400 Series E-scan micro Doppler ground surveillance radar.

The contract was awarded by system integrator Tata Power Company Limited (Strategic Engineering Division) following Blighter's success at a radar/sensor trial organized by India's border management organization in Gwalior in November/December 2016. The Blighter radars will be deployed by Tata Power during 2018 as part a Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS).

The Indian Govt.’s CIBMS programme aims to establish a multi-tier security ring - ground surveillance radar, thermal cameras, unattended ground sensors, seismic vibration systems, fences and fence protection systems - to protect the country's long international borders. Pilot projects are already underway as part of this modernization programme. Click here to read more.

Keysight & Qualcomm Achieve LTE Download Speeds of 2 Gbps

Keysight and Qualcomm have achieved 2 Gbps LTE download data speeds using Keysight’s 5G Protocol R&D Toolset and Qualcomm's mobile test device, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X24 LTE modem.

Keysight’s 5G Protocol R&D Toolset, the first 5G protocol test solution, is part of Keysight’s suite of Network Emulation Solutions, which provides a seamless radio frequency (RF) and protocol workflow approach that enables chipset and device manufacturers to efficiently develop and test the latest 4G and evolving 5G standards in a single solution. Click here to read more.

New Quantum Radar System to Detect Stealth Aircrafts

Researchers at the University of Waterloo are developing a new technology that promises to help radar operators cut through heavy background noise and isolate objects - including stealth aircraft and missiles - with unparalleled accuracy.

In the Arctic, space weather such as geomagnetic storms and solar flares interfere with radar operation and make the effective identification of objects more challenging. By moving from traditional radar to quantum radar, scientists hope to not only cut through this noise, but also to identify objects that have been specifically designed to avoid detection. Click here to read more.