5G networks demand new antenna designs to deliver faster speeds for sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave (mmWave) communications. These new antenna technologies, however, often create a tech jargon that can potentially confuse readers. Let’s set the record straight in terms of who is who in the 5G antenna designs. It starts with the difference between…
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Anritsu releases field and bench wireless test products
In recent days, test-equipment company Anritsu has introduced equipment for RF measurements in the field and software for its on the bench RF test set. The PIM Master MW82119B-0703 (datasheet)is a two-port, 700 MHz passive intermodulation (PIM) analyzer, a dual-function instrument that performs two-port RF PIM measurements by transmitting two continuous wave (CW) tones from…
5G moves into production, causes test issues
5G Technology World talks with Teradyne’s Jeorge Hutarte, who explains components and over-the-air production test of 5G components. 5G phones, base stations, IoT, and other devices have moved into production, but like everything else, 5G’s mmWave frequencies bring new challenges there, just as they have with design and deployment. For starters, production facilities don’t what…
Signal generators cover 5G FR1 and FR2
The Model 865 from Berkeley Nucleonics lets you generate signals in the sub-6 GHz FR1 band and the mmWave FR2 band for testing 5G and other RF devices and systems such as Radar. 5G starts with RF/microwave/mmWave carriers and engineers need to test devices and systems with clean signals. For example, you might want to…
Monitor CBRS 3.5 GHz with spectrum analyzer and software
Spectrum analyzer maker ThinkRF and Cellular software publisher CelPlan have joined forces to integrate their products, letting engineers monitor the newly opened 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band. The product integration lets RF engineers conduct drive tests and evaluate network performance, map coverage, or identify issues in the 3.5 GHz CBRS band. CBRS…
VIAVI, Rohde introduce 5G site test tools
You know 5G is in deployment when two companies introduce installation and maintenance test tools in the same week. That’s what happened recently as both VIAVI Solutions and Rohde & Schwarz introduced portable test equipment for 5G site installation, though the companies emphasize different tests. VIAVI, known for its network-testing products, introduced the OneAdvisor-800, a…
Digital modulation basics, part 1
Mobile devices have evolved from basic analog phones to digitally enabled smartphones that fit in the palm of your hand. Voice communications are still part of the mix, but voice calls are handled by converting the voice signal from analog to digital and transmitting it digitally. This means that mobile wireless systems are focused on…
X60 Modem aggregates mmWave and sub-6 GHz carriers
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X60 5G modem builds on its two 5G predecessors—the X50 and X55—by adding sub-6 GHz and mmWave carrier aggregation, plus other features. According to Qualcomm, the 5 nm process used to fabricate the X60 provides higher power efficiency into a smaller footprint. Additional features include: 5G frequency-division duplex (FDD) and time-division duplex (TDD)…
Get the missing telecom network data
We’ve all experienced wireless call drops and we accept it as part of life. We’d never think of reporting a dropped call to the carrier. EXFO, a company known for its installation and maintenance test equipment, has created Nova SensAI to monitor networks in real time, letting telecom service providers get the feedback that users…
DesignCon video: Compressible RF connectors
Like all technologies, 5G needs more that just the “glamor” components such as baseband ICs, RFICs, and phased-array antennas. Interconnects can make or break a design, and 5G is no exception. So, besides giving birth to active devices, 5G has also spawned a need for connectors. To that end, TE Connectivity has developed the ERFV…
