Feature: Communications
A crystal-clear way forward for mmWave 5G
By Ahmed Akgiray, CTO, ALCAN Systems C
hris Pearson, president of 5G Americas – the organisation that facilitates the advancement and transformation of
LTE, 5G and beyond – recently said: “Globally, 5G remains the fastest- growing generation of wireless cellular technology ever, even as the world is gripped by a pandemic.” Although undoubtedly true, there
are challenges with the current rollout of 5G. The majority of 5G connections to date use low-band frequencies that are only 20% faster than existing 4G networks. This is an improvement for consumers looking for faster downloads or media streaming, but when it comes to delivering on the promised fourth industrial revolution, it simply isn’t enough. A vital part of the future of 5G is the
mmWave technology. This year we have seen mmWave 5G trials demonstrate speeds up to eight times faster than 4G and a lot closer to the industry’s 5G vision. Still, there is still a big question mark over mmWave 5G delivery.
Challenges From both a technical and commercial perspective, there are three big problems when it comes to 5G using mmWave frequencies. First is signal penetration. MmWave
signals are easily blocked, by buildings, weather, even a user’s hand, making it largely unsuitable for particularly dense urban areas, where there are the greatest number of potential uses. Then, there’s the mmWave
technology’s limited range of around 300 meters – a staggering 50 times less than 4G. This requires significantly more equipment for consistently reliable coverage. And, finally, with a growing amount
of equipment comes the need for significantly higher infrastructure investment. The implications of this are compounded by the need for mmWave to use advanced technologies such as beam-steering for effective coverage, which come with a much higher price tag. To solve these problems, operators will have to embrace innovation and new approaches. One of the most promising solutions is the use of liquid
16 November/December 2020
www.electronicsworld.co.uk
crystal as the core material of much 5G equipment. This is the same liquid crystal found in smartphones and TV screens, which when used in new ways has the potential to solve some of the biggest mmWave 5G challenges.
Liquid-crystal-enabled smart antennas Based on research at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, liquid crystal technology can be used to build phased-array smart antennas. These can take the form of relay antennas, customer premises equipment (CPE), or even integrated into vehicles to realise the connected-cars vision. Using this technology as the core
material of the phased array enables the beam steering essential for mmWave 5G at a fraction of the cost. These smart antennas combine liquid crystal display (LCD) technology with microwave LCs and array antenna design. Unlike most beam-steering options on the market, this is a totally passive design with several key benefits when it comes to cost reduction. The materials are cost- effective and can be mass produced,
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