Antenna Systems & Technology - Spring 2015 - (Page 20)

NEW PRODUCTS & SERVICES TEST & MEASUREMENT New NIST Tools to Help Boost Wireless Channel Frequencies and Capacity Credit: Irvine/NIST To help solve the wireless crowding conundrum and support the next generation of mobile technology, 5G cellular, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are developing measurement tools for channels that are new for mobile communications and that could offer more than 1,000 times the bandwidth of today's cell phone systems. Like pioneers who found land by going west, telecom researchers can find open spectrum by going up, to higher frequencies. Mobile devices such as cell phones, consumer WiFi devices and public safety radios mostly operate below 3 gigahertz (GHz) (see infographic). But some devices are starting to use fast silicon-germanium radio chips operating at millimeter (mm) wavelengths above 10 GHz. Researchers at NIST and elsewhere are eyeing channels up to 100 GHz and even beyond. The metrology infrastructure for telecommunications at these frequencies is incomplete. NIST's challenge is to develop tools and test methods that are far more precise than today's versions to optimize device performance. Because high-speed digital circuits can easily distort mm wave signals, even tiny errors can result in erroneous bits of information. In addition, mm waves don't travel around corners as well as lower frequency waves, so channel models will be complex. To support wireless communications at higher frequencies offering more channel capacity, NIST engineer Kate Remley led development of this new 94 gigahertz calibrated signal source for testing receivers and other devices. Credit: NIST Possible solutions include development of complex antenna arrays that may provide novel capabilities such as beam steering, the capability to transmit in many different directions to point the beam directly at the receiving device, and even track mobile devices. This would strengthen signals and cause less interference to neighboring devices. 20 Antenna Systems & Technology Spring 2015 www.AntennasOnline.com http://www.AntennasOnline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Antenna Systems & Technology - Spring 2015

Editor’s Choice
Base Station Antenna Selection for LTE Networks
Anticipating and Satisfying a Rising Demand for Wireless Communication Systems
Antennas
Components/Subsystems
Software / System Design
Test & Measurement
Industry News
Marketplace
CPRI Overcomes Head-End Challenges for DAS in Large Venues

Antenna Systems & Technology - Spring 2015