Maryam Rofougaran, Co-CEO and COO of Movandi, said: “We are looking to develop complete front end solutions for 5G; anything from the interface with broadband to antennas. Our mission is to develop core technology that can access gigabit data rates. We want to make 5G successful.”
The BeamX front-end integrates RF, antenna, beamforming and control algorithms into a modular solution targeted at customer premises equipment, small cell and base station applications. The configurable system support different baseband/modem SoC solutions and can also be used with satellite networks.
“So far,” Rofougaran told New Electronics, “everything has worked at frequencies between 1 and 5GHz. Going from 4G to 5G will be a revolution, particularly when it comes to the front end, where there will be a need for more processing and lower latency. However, when it comes to mm wave technology, the challenges are different and innovation is required to make it work effectively.”
BeamX is a 64 element array designed to operate initially at 28GHz, but will support 39GHz in the near future. It combines RF technology designed in low-cost bulk CMOS with a high efficiency antenna. BeamX is said to achieve ‘breakthrough levels’ of performance and significant range improvements. Rofougaran noted BeamX has a link budget which is ‘4 to 5dB better than other solutions’. “This could double range,” she claimed.