IBM and Ericsson Collaborate on 5G Antennas

Ericsson and IBM have agreed to jointly research phased-array antenna designs for 5G.

The companies plan to develop prototype systems that will serve more mobile users, enable a multitude of new services on the same frequency, as well as offer data speeds that are orders of magnitude faster than today - competitive to existing cable and wired internet access speeds.

Ericsson said phased-array design allows for more directional antennas that are electrically-steerable and will have significant weight and flexibility advantages over existing mechanical antennas. The outcome of these technological advances will integrate on the order of a hundred antennas and radios on a single chip smaller than a credit card in size, greatly facilitating the use of these technologies for high-capacity small cells in indoor spaces and dense downtown areas.

Thomas Norén, Head of Product Management Radio, Ericsson, says: "Ericsson is performing world-class radio research that will enable the extremely high data rates that will be required in the future.  We have already showed 5 Gbps over-the-air in trials back in July. We are also working to solve the size barrier and look forward to developing antenna technology with IBM that will open up possibilities for new uses. We recently launched the industry's most flexible small cell, which allows for concurrent use of multiple technologies. Even with its tablet-sized footprint, the form-factor was limited by components inside. This research collaboration will help us enable mobile network builds that provide the right coverage and capacity even in the densest urban environment."

Dr. Mehmet Soyuer, Manager of the Communication and Computation Subsystems Department, IBM Research says: "We have accumulated over 10 years of experience in developing radio frequency (RF) integrated circuit and packaging solutions, demonstrating highly integrated phased arrays for various applications. We look forward to collaborating with Ericsson to help shape the future of mobile communications."
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