press release
Entering the 5G mmWave infrastructure market with phased array antenna modules that deliver the highest level of performance
October 23, 2020
Fujikura Ltd.
Fujikura Ltd. (President and CEO: Masahiko Ito) has announced the commercialization of cutting-edge integrated Phased Array Antenna Modules (PAAMs) that support the 5G mmWave bands n257 (28 GHz band), n258 (26 GHz band), and n261 (27 GHz band) defined by 3GPP*¹. Fujikura's PAAM products are PAAMs that boast the highest level of performance for indoor and outdoor use and are compatible with mmWave-based 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)*², 5G Mobile Wireless Access (MWA)*³, 5G wireless backhaul*⁴, and other new applications.
5G mmWave Market Status
Currently, the deployment of 5G is accelerating around the world, and the use of mmWave bands is expected to play a key role in enhancing 5G network capabilities. According to the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA)*⁵, as of the end of August 2020, 397 business in 129 countries and regions have already announced their investments in 5G. 5G services using mmWave are being deployed mainly for FWA and MWA applications in the United States, but the market is still in the early stages of deployment, and there are high expectations from the market for a significant expansion of mmWave 5G service usage scenarios for both outdoor and indoor applications.
The PAAM product that Fujikura has developed to meet the expectations of this market has been made possible by highly fusing the millimeter wave IC technology and antenna-in-package technology [1], [2] introduced from IBM in the United States with Fujikura's antenna design technology, board design technology, and its long history and expertise in providing valuable products to the communications industry. Fujikura will contribute to the growth and expansion of 5G millimeter wave networks and 5G services by providing this PAAM product to customers who are promoting the construction of 5G infrastructure around the world.
Main strong point / feature of Fujikura PAAM products
Fujikura's PAAM products are high-performance phased array antenna modules that integrate an antenna capable of simultaneously transmitting and receiving both vertically and horizontally polarized waves with an RF-IC*6, and are equipped with a variety of functions (see below) that are essential for 5G base stations (Figure 1).
• Equipped with an RF-IC developed in-house using cutting-edge SiGe BiCMOS process, it has excellent noise figure (NF) characteristics, providing sufficient link margin and enabling coverage of a wide communication area.
• Uses a unique True-time-delay phase shifter, enabling independent control of phase and amplitude over a wide frequency range.
• This phase shifter not only realizes high-precision and high-resolution beam direction control, but also eliminates the need for cumbersome calibration when implementing PAAM.
• This phase shifter keeps the group delay and beam direction constant across a wide bandwidth, suppressing distortion of the transmitted and received signals and achieving high transmission quality.
• This PAAM product allows flexible setting of the trade-off between NF and linearity when a large signal is input, making it possible to select the optimal setting according to the coverage of the base station where the PAAM is implemented.
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Figure 1. Block diagram of Fujikura PAAM
Product introduction schedule
Fujikura plans to begin providing samples of this PAAM product gradually during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020, with mass production to begin in the second half of fiscal year 2021.
If you need more information about this product, please contact us via our website. (https://mmwavetech.fujikura.jp/ja/#area-28ghz-module )
Glossary
*1 3GPP: A standardization project that examines and creates specifications for mobile communications systems such as 5G.
*2 FWA: Wireless access for fixed terminals (subscriber homes, etc.)
*3 MWA: Wireless access for mobile devices (smartphones, etc.)
*4 Backhaul: A relay circuit connecting a telecommunications business 's backbone network and a base station
*5 GSA: A mobile communications industry association representing companies involved in the provision of mobile infrastructure, equipment and devices, applications, support services, etc.
*6 RF-IC: Radio frequency integrated circuit
Reference
[1] https://www.ibm.com/blogs/research/2018/02/isscc-lewis-winner-award/
[2] https://www.ibm.com/blogs/research/2017/06/using-air-cavity-boost-performance-5g-antenna-module/
