Trending RF & Microwave News Stories this Week (7 - 11 May, 2018)

World’s Smallest Handheld Tester for the Installation and Measurement of 5G Mobile Networks

Anritsu has announced a new firmware release for the Network Master Pro MT1000A that makes it the smallest (in its class) handheld tester supporting 100 Gbps with eCPRI/RoE and high-accuracy delay measurement functions. The upgraded MT1000A with strengthened functions for 5G mobile networks will support the measurement needs of mobile operators and network installation companies, and help with the early and easy deployment of high-speed networks. Click here to read more.

Researchers Develop Better, More Complex Car Antenna System for Handling Large Volumes of Data

Modern cars today, use a range of wireless services including, mobile phones, satellite navigation, WiFi, door openers and more. The antennas for transmitting and receiving signals are usually mounted in the shark fins installed on the roof. But with the growing number of mobile communication systems and the high amount of data incurring, the systems need more complex antennas. The trend towards autonomous driving further exacerbates this problem.

Engineers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now designed a reconfigurable antenna system that can handle large amounts of data from different services simultaneously. Transmitting large amounts of data to as many users as possible at the same time without errors provides different challenges depending on the environment. For example, anyone who wants to make a phone call in a busy place like an airport is typically facing a capacity problem since many people want to communicate here at the same time. Those who want to make a phone call in the Alps, on the other hand, often have no network coverage. Click here to read more.

Nokia and SFR Conduct 5G Calls Using 3.5 GHz Spectrum in France

Nokia and SFR have successfully completed a 5G call, using the 3GPP-compliant 5G New Radio (NR) system over-the-air on the 3.5 GHz frequency band in France. The test took place on  May 3rd, 2018, at the Nokia 5G Test Network and Competence Center in Paris-Saclay, France.

The 5G call used Nokia 5G NR technology, incorporating the Nokia 5G-ready AirScale radio platform and Cloud RAN technology together with 3GPP-compliant end user test devices. A cloud infrastructure based on the Nokia AirFrame Datacenter solution was built to support Cloud RAN. Click here to read more.

New High-Performance Multilayer Organic Band-Pass Filters For RF/Microwave Applications

AVX Corporation has released a new series of low-profile, high-performance band-pass filters based on AVX’s patented and proven multilayer organic (MLO®) high-density interconnect technology. The new BP Series MLO band-pass filters incorporate high-dielectric-constant and low-loss materials that are expansion matched to most organic PCB materials, providing improved reliability over standard silicon and ceramic devices, feature an ultralow profile of less than 0.556mm, and support 18 pass bands spanning 620 to 5930 MHz. The series also exhibits low insertion loss (1.57–2.41dB typical), low parasitics, 50Ω impedance, excellent rejection of out-of-band frequencies, and favorable heat dissipation characteristics, and is rated for 1W continuous RF power, making it ideal for use in a wide range of wireless applications, including: wireless communications systems, military and emergency first responder radios, UAVs, base stations, femtocells, microcells, wireless access points and terminals, and instrumentation equipment. Click here to read more.

Teledyne e2v Unveils Versatile 12-Bit Quad-Channel Analog-to-Digital Converter

Teledyne e2v has released its most advanced ADC to date. The EV12AQ600 is a 12-bit Quad-core ADC that features a Cross Point Switch (CPS), which allows the device to operate its four cores simultaneously, independently or paired, to assign its 6 GSps sampling speed across the user’s desired channel count. This flexibility allows system designers to develop advanced systems on the ground and, for the first time ever, design with a quad-channel ADC for space applications, using the rad-tolerant version. Click here to read more.

GaN Drove the Growth in the RF Power Semiconductors Market in 2017

According to ABI Research, spending on RF power semiconductors (for <4 GHz and >3 Watts) was still moving forward in 2017. The wireless infrastructure segment was flat but other markets – notably the military/defense – are moving forward. Additionally, Gallium Nitride (GaN) – long seen as the likely promising new “material of choice” for RF power semiconductors – is continuing its march to capture share.

Gallium Nitride (GaN) has the promise of gaining market share in 2018 and is forecast to be a significant force over the next few years. It bridges the gap between two older technologies, exhibiting the high-frequency performance of Gallium Arsenide combined with the power handling capabilities of Silicon LDMOS. It is now a mainstream technology which has now achieved measurable market share and in future will capture a significant part of the market. Click here to read more.

World's First 28 GHz 5G Wireless Data Transmission Trial at Speeds of 300 km/h

NTT DOCOMO together with NEC Corporation and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), have achieved what is believed to be the world's first successful 28 GHz wireless data transmission between a 5G base station and a 5G mobile station in a car moving at 305 km/hr.

This 5G field trial also achieved successful 1.1 Gbps ultra-high-speed data transmission via downlink to a 5G mobile station moving at 293 km/h and a fast handover during communication between 5G base stations and a 5G mobile station moving at 290 km/h. In addition to this, the trial also succeeded in providing live 4K high-frame-rate video via uplink from a 5G mobile station moving at 200 km/h.

The trials, conducted at the Japan Automobile Research Institute (JARI) on April 8, created an ultra-high-mobility test environment using a car traveling at speeds similar to those of high-speed railways. Click here to read more...

5G NR Deployments Boost Global Macro-cell Transceiver Shipments

According to a recent report from EJI Wireless Research the shipments of macro-cell radio transceivers (TRx) for remote radio units (RRU) and massive MIMO antenna radio systems (MM-ARS) supporting 2G, 3G, 4G, 4,5G, 4,9G, and 5G NR were up by 24% in 2017.

The TRx report, titled, “Global Macro-cell Radio Transceiver (TRx) Market Analysis and Forecast, 2018-2022 14th Edition” is the third in mobile radio access network (RAN) series of market research reports by EJI and complements the recently published RRU and digital baseband unit (BBU) reports. Click here to read more.

Researchers Learn How to Use Bandwidth More Efficiently from Cave-Dwelling Fish

A new light-based device, demonstrated recently by researchers, could mimic a fish’s incredible Jamming Avoidance Response (JAR) ability. JAR is a behavior performed by some species of fish when their discharge frequencies are very similar, each fish will shift its discharge frequency to increase the difference between the two fish's discharge frequencies. By doing this, both fish prevent jamming of their sense of electroreception. Click here to read more.

Deutsche Telekom Lays the Foundation for 5G Rollout in Germany

Laying the foundation for the rollout of 5G in Germany, Deutsche Telekom has installed the first 5G antennas in downtown Berlin to fully support the new communications standard, now operating in real-world conditions. The antennas are based on 5G New Radio (5G NR) and have three cells located in Leipziger Straße and three in Winterfeldtstraße. With this technical setup, Deutsche Telekom has successfully demonstrated Europe's first 5G data connection over a live network. Currently, the Group is deploying an entire 5G cluster in the heart of Berlin.

Deutsche Telekom's 5G cluster in downtown Berlin initially spans an area of up to five kilometers wide. The first six commercial antennas are now installed in sites in Berlin's Mitte and Schöneberg districts for test operations. An additional 70 cells are to be installed by the summer of this year, across a total of more than 20 sites. The result will be a major 5G testbed right in the center of Germany's capital. Click here to read more.

MACOM Receives First Volume Production Orders for GaN on Si Power Transistors

MACOM has announced the first three, volume production orders for GaN on Si devices. The orders are for 50 to 270 W devices that operate in the 2.4 and 3.5 GHz cellular bands. GaN on Si technology was developed by MACOM as an alternative to LDMOS and GaN on SiC for a number of applications.

After purchasing Nitronex to acquire GaN on Si technology, MACOM worked hard to displace LDMOS used in base station power amplifiers. They then invested largely in device, process development and qualification. MACOM even had to sue Infineon to defend their IP for this technology. Click here to read more.

Low Cost 5G Wireless Backhaul Bridges Based on LiFi Technology

Firefly LiFi - a manufacturer of Visible Light Communications (VLC) and Infrared Light Communications (ILC) LiFi products - is bringing affordable backhaul connectivity to 5G Smart City networks and the security camera market, using LED technology. Firefly LiFi demonstrated the fastest commercially available LiFi solution at the Global LiFi Congress in Paris, France, has been shipping indoor LiFi products, however, this new product addition is the company’s first solution designed for longer range indoor and outdoor point-to-point applications using advanced LED technology. The solution is designed for building-to-building or lightpole-to-lightpole backhaul of WiFi, LiFi, 5G LTE, and IP security camera backhaul - using light spectrum to carry the data, rather than radio frequency (RF) technology. Firefly’s units are designed for ‘Wireless To The Home’ and Small Cells. Small Cells, which complement macro networks, are forecast to grow to US$2.2 billion in 2021 according to the Small Cell Forum and HIS Markit. Click here to read more.