Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (11 - 15 Mar, 2019)

US GNSS Chip Manufacturers Prepare for Galileo Roll-Out

Leading U.S. manufacturers are preparing to roll-out Galileo on U.S. territory following a waiver by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in November last year, in which it allowed devices in the United States to access signals transmitted by the Galileo Global Navigation System. Galileo is Europe's GNSS solution (i.e Europe's version of GPS).

At a meeting on November 15 last year, the US FCC granted in part a request from the European Commission for a waiver of the FCC rules so that devices in the United States may access specific signals transmitted by Galileo. Click here to read more.

5G Infrastructure Market Expected to Be Worth $58.17B by 2025

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, the global 5G infrastructure market size was $371.4 million in 2017 and is expected to reach $58.17 billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 95.8% from 2018 to 2025.

The report states that the growing penetration of M2M/IoT connections and a surge in demand for mobile broadband services will drive the global 5G infrastructure market. However, huge initial investment, implementation challenges regarding technology & infrastructure, and increase in security and privacy concerns can limit the market growth. Click here to read more.

5G OTA Test and Measurement Chamber Covers All Bands up to 60 GHz

Bluetest, a developer of reverberation test system technology for over-the-air (OTA) testing of wireless equipment and antennas, has introduced its next generation 5G OTA test and measurement chamber for the global market.

The RTS85HP was developed to meet new, unique demands for 5G base station testing and a dramatically increased need for OTA solutions. With a frequency range of 500 MHz to 43 GHz, the RTS85HP covers all currently discussed 5G sub-6GHz bands as well as mmWave bands, and a roadmap including a frequency extension to 60 GHz - to align with 3GPP spurious emission measurement requirements. The unique chamber is designed to handle RRU output power levels up to 200W, with communication interfaces as well as power supply interfaces in place to meet the requirements of base station testing. Click here to read more.

ViaLite Introduces C-Band RF over Fiber Link from 3.4 to 7.1 GHz

RF over fiber links and systems developer, ViaLite, has introduced a new C-Band RF over fiber link. With a C-Band uplink/downlink frequency range from 3.4 to 7.1 GHz, the link is suitable for use in a wide range of satcom and broadcast applications, as well as some surveillance and weather radar systems. The link's full frequency range is 500 MHz - 7.5 GHz.

By removing the requirement for an up/down converter to convert signals to an IF band, the module reduces deployment costs and complexity. Another benefit is that there is virtually no signal attenuation across the site from the dish to the operations center. The ViaLite HD C-Band Link is available either as a rack chassis card or as a new purple OEM module, and comes with a five year warranty as standard. The C-Band Link has the highest frequency band of all of ViaLite’s RF over fiber links. Click here to read more.

Researchers Get One Step Closer to Developing an Atomic Clock that Could Replace GPS and Galileo

Scientists in the Emergent Photonics Lab (EPic Lab) at the University of Sussex have made a breakthrough to a crucial element of an atomic clock - devices which could reduce our reliance on satellite mapping in the future - using cutting-edge laser beam technology. Their development greatly improves the efficiency of the lancet (which in a traditional clock is responsible for counting), by 80% - something which scientists around the world have been racing to achieve.

Currently, the UK is reliant on the US and the EU for the satellite mapping that many of us have on our phones and in our cars. That makes them vulnerable not only to the whims of international politics but also to the availability of satellite signal. Click here to read more.

MediaTek Collaborates with Leading Device Makers and RF Experts for 5G Smartphone Innovations

In a bid towards 5G innovations, MediaTek has announced multiple collaborations with leading 5G component suppliers and device makers to deliver a complete, standards-based and optimized 5G solution. Companies collaborating with MediaTek on radio frequency (RF) technology include Oppo, Vivo and top tier RF suppliers, including Skyworks, Qorvo and Murata. The companies will be working together to define a front end module solution that accommodates 5G components without impacting a smartphone’s slim profile and stylish design.

According to TL Lee, General Manager of MediaTek’s wireless business unit, the company is committed to making advanced mobile features accessible to consumers everywhere. Since the rollout of 5G will bring new design challenges for smartphone brands, MediaTek is working closely with component suppliers and device makers to provide the support they need to quickly bring to market innovative 5G devices. As the 5G market matures, the company is positioned to lead this new wave of innovation with the Helio M70 platform and future MediaTek 5G products. Click here to read more.

Sequans Collaborates with Lockheed Martin to Develop First LTE over Satellite Solution

Lockheed Martin is working with Sequans Communications to develop new 4G LTE for satellite technologies for worldwide deployment. The two companies are enabling LTE end user devices to connect directly to geostationary satellites to enable a wide array of applications.

Sequans engineers modified their existing LTE chips to enable a new LTE-to-satellite communication specification developed by Lockheed Martin. Enabling the LTE modem to speak to satellite networks as simply and as easily as possible will have a major impact on handling the huge potential volume of broadband and IoT applications that require space-based, ubiquitous communications, such as connected cars, shipping, and navigation. Click here to read more.

NI AWR Updates AntSyn - Its Antenna Design Software

The latest release of the antenna design, synthesis and optimization module, AntSyn™ 3.1, is now available for use by current customers and evaluators. AntSyn™ is an automated antenna design, synthesis, and optimization tool that takes antenna engineering requirements as input and produces antenna designs as outputs. AntSyn was designed by antenna engineers to be used by all levels of experience, from experts to those who are relatively new to antenna design. A number of companies use this innovative EM-based synthesis tool valuable for designing antenna solutions for their products. Click here to read more.

Wi-Fi Chipset Delivers 2 Gbps Throughput Using Multi-User MIMO

Quantenna announced that they have achieved over 2Gbit/s total throughput for Wi-Fi network performance. This was attained by connecting multiple laptops with commercially available Intel Wireless-AC 9260 2x2AC MIMO wireless modems to a Quantenna-based 8x8 MIMO access point and utilizing the latest Wi-Fi features such as multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). This significant breakthrough demonstrates once again Wi-Fi’s constant evolution and the importance of performance optimization and interoperability testing. Users globally benefit from reliable high-performance connectivity which enables simultaneous use of demanding applications such as video streaming, online gaming, or remote cloud access.

Quantenna’s Wi-Fi 6 QSR10GU-AX Plus chipset provides integrated dual-band, dual-concurrent 2.4GHz, and 5GHz functionality, supporting up to a maximum speed of 10Gbps and 12 simultaneous streams. It includes the SmartScan feature that offers enhanced radar detection and spectrum analyzer capabilities with wide frequency range analysis. The QSR10GU-AX Plus also supports advanced MU-MIMO schemes, allowing for transmission to multiple devices at the same time. The Intel Wireless-AC 2X2 160 MHz delivers Gigabit Wi-Fi speeds and includes two antennas for reliable connections, making it possible for users to experience smooth gaming and 4K UHD video streaming, and fast file transfers and backups on their devices. Click here for more information. Click here to read more.

Increased Adoption of Military Radars to Grow Radar Market Size to $16 Billion by 2027

According to a recent market report on military radars, the radar market is expected to grow from USD 12.37 Billion in 2018 to USD 16.21 Billion in 2027, at a CAGR of around 2.7%. The skewness of the market towards developed economies is very high in the military radar market with North American and  European markets accounting for nearly 70% of the total market. This is predominantly due to the modernization programs, air platform upgrades and NATO spending.

Emerging economies in APAC have helped this region to grow at a higher CAGR compared to the Global CAGR of this market. There are also a few indigenous programs which act as drivers in the APAC market, according to the report, released by market research specialist, ASD Reports. Click here to read more.

Researchers Use Quantum Mechanics to Detect Very Weak Radio Signals

Researchers at Delft University, have developed a new quantum circuit that allows them to listen to the weakest radio signal possible in quantum mechanics. This new circuit opens the door to possible future applications in areas such as radio astronomy and medicine (MRI). It will also enable researchers to do experiments that can shed light on the interplay between quantum mechanics and gravity. The circuit was developed by researchers at Delft University of Technology.

We have all been annoyed by weak radio signals at some point in our lives, most often when we do not get cell reception in an area of the house or we are too far away from our Wi-Fi router to check our email. The usual solution is to make the signal stronger, by going closer to the source. However, what if, we could just listen more carefully? Click here to read more.

Advanced mm-Wave Chip Design Looking Beyond 5G

The worldwide race to deploy 5G wireless networks is still in its early stages, but researchers at the Carnegie Mellon University are already looking beyond 5G. The massive interconnected web of IoT and personal devices enabled by 5G will increase demand for higher data rates and lower latency. To support this beyond-5G network of the future, Jeyanandh Paramesh, ECE Ph.D student Susnata Mondal, and recent ECE Ph.D. graduate Rahul Singh presented a new chip design at the 2019 International Solid-State Circuit’s Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco on February 20th 2019.

 Click here to read more.