<section data-element_type="section" data-id="61a53386" data-particle-mobile-disabled="false" data-particle_enable="false" id="isPasted"><div data-element_type="column" data-id="5f57ec7b"><div data-element_type="widget" data-id="594525e0" data-widget_type="text-editor.default">You&rsquo;ve identified that global IoT SIM cards with a self-service console and developer tools (APIs, Integrations, Docs) is the right wireless technology to <a data-wpel-link="internal" href="https://monogoto.io/iot-connectivity/iot-connectivity-for-fleet-management/" target="_blank">track your fleet,</a> assets and containers, or smart meters. But, when you start digging into the cellular connectivity world, it&rsquo;s easy to get lost in the plethora of codes, identity numbers, acronyms, and what each is used for. For instance, what is an ICCID number? This is likely to be one of the first ID numbers you encounter on your journey.&nbsp;In this article, we demystify and explain the codes, numbers and acronyms for you so you can focus on making your IoT project a success.&nbsp;<hr>It&rsquo;s worth pointing out that all these cellular identifiers are necessary: think of all the moving parts that need to work in sync to get the <a data-wpel-link="external" href="https://eng.uber.com/improving-transportation-artificial-intelligence/" rel="external noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">taxi to your front door</a> at the right time, or for you to deliver a real-time, accurate report of valuable assets as they move across the planet.The humble SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card does a lot of heavy lifting as the quarterback of all this activity. Each SIM card contains the identification code for the various entities it will need to engage with:<ul><li>Cellular modem</li><li>Cellular network</li><li>Connectivity service&nbsp;</li></ul></div></div></section><section data-element_type="section" data-id="417ae7a" data-particle-mobile-disabled="false" data-particle_enable="false"><div data-element_type="column" data-id="598d776"><div data-element_type="widget" data-id="17ac97d" data-widget_type="text-editor.default">When you are planning an IoT project using cellular connectivity, you will need to stitch together these various entities so that the correct information is conveyed at the right time and in the right way. To get you started, here is an IoT SIM card dictionary that explains the meaning, location and purpose of the building blocks of cellular IoT connectivity.&nbsp;ICCID &ndash; Integrated Circuit Card ID&nbsp;<ul><li>This is a globally unique identification number for the SIM card itself</li><li>19 or 20 digits printed on the back of the SIM card</li></ul>IMSI &ndash; International Mobile Subscriber Identity<ul><li>This identifies the mobile station, home wireless network and the home country of the wireless network. Mobile operators use the IMSI to identify which services are allocated to the SIM card&rsquo;s data plan</li><li>Up to 15 digits stored in the SIM card itself. It cannot be moved or changed.</li></ul>IMEI &ndash; International Mobile Equipment Identity<ul><li>This is a unique number allocated to the specific device, think of it as a cellular device&rsquo;s fingerprint. It is used to identify or track the device via a global IMEI database if the device is stolen or compromised.</li><li>15 digits usually printed on the device&rsquo;s battery component&nbsp;</li></ul></div></div></section><section data-element_type="section" data-id="c1f6a1f" data-particle-mobile-disabled="false" data-particle_enable="false"><div data-element_type="column" data-id="e6193a4"><div data-element_type="widget" data-id="31b7fb7" data-widget_type="image.default"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjU4NzM3NDQ2ODMzLVNJTXMuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"></div></div></section><section data-element_type="section" data-id="1effa79" data-particle-mobile-disabled="false" data-particle_enable="false"><div data-element_type="column" data-id="fef414e"><div data-element_type="widget" data-id="e0c6ce9" data-widget_type="text-editor.default">eUICCID &ndash; Embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card ID<ul><li>This is an identification number used to identify physical SIM or eSIM</li><li>In case if physical eSIM was provided by an operator, then this number can be found printed on the eSIM chip, else it can be seen in device settings.</li></ul>MSISDN &ndash; Mobile Station ISDN Number&nbsp;<ul><li>This is the full phone number, including the country code, of a SIM card. It&rsquo;s used to complete voice calls and route SMS messages.&nbsp;</li><li>Maximum length is 15 digits. The minimum number of digits varies and depends on the issuing country&rsquo;s regulations. To see this number you may need to check your device settings or contact your SIM provider.</li></ul>OPc &ndash; Operator code<ul><li>This is a code generated from OP (operator code) and Ki key using an algorithm to generate a code unique for each SIM. This provides great security, since in case OPc is obtained by a 3rd party, then only one SIM can be spoofed, not all.</li><li>Known only to the network carrier who provides SIM cards to the customers.</li></ul>Ki key&nbsp;<ul><li>A unique Ki key is used to authenticate the SIM on a GSM mobile network.</li><li>The 128-bit cryptographic code is saved on the SIM and stored in the AuC (authentication center) database on the carrier&rsquo;s network. This code is not accessible to end users and only a few people from the carrier&rsquo;s network can access it.</li></ul>ADM key &ndash; Administrative key<ul><li>ADM key is needed if you want to change information/settings in the SIM card that by default is set to read-only or unreadable.&nbsp;</li><li>Each sim card has different keys and they are known only to the network carrier who provides SIM cards to the customers, so only the owner can change the information inside the sim.</li></ul>While this looks like a lot at first, there is no doubt that global IoT SIM cards with self-service console and developer tools for cellular connectivity are the right wireless technology for your IoT project. Let Monogoto simplify it all with a reduced cellular learning curve that allows you to deploy faster.&nbsp;With <a href="https://monogoto.io/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Monogoto</a>&rsquo;s plug-and-play IoT SIM cards you&rsquo;ll be up and running fast with immediate global connectivity and maximum network resiliency in 180 countries on 550+ mobile networks.<hr>Continue the discussion on our Community Forum&nbsp;-&nbsp;<a href="https://forum.monogoto.io/t/what-is-an-iccid-number-the-complete-iot-sim-card-dictionary/169" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">JOIN</a><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjU4NzM3Njc0MzM3LWZvcnVtLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="forum.monogoto.io">Join the discussion on forum.monogoto.io</div></div></section>

When you start digging into the cellular connectivity world, it’s easy to get lost in the plethora of codes, identity numbers, acronyms, and what each is used for. For instance, what is an ICCID number? This is likely to be one of the first ID numbers you encounter on your journey.

What is an ICCID number? The complete IoT SIM card dictionary

DECT NR+ (NR+) will be the first-ever, non-cellular wireless technology to become part of a cellular generation (&ldquo;G&rdquo;) standard, starting with 5G. It&#39;s also license-free and targets massive IoT applications targeting millions or billions of nodes. This takes massive IoT over 5G and private 5G networking from unaffordable for all but a privileged few to something any company can access.<h2>Quantum leaps</h2>The evolution of the modern smartphone &ndash; from car phone to handheld mobile and eventually full-blown portable computer in all but name &ndash; would have been impossible without quantum leaps forward in cellular wireless technology.As impressive as today&rsquo;s smartphone undoubtedly is, it relies on this remarkable cellular underpinning that has not only kept pace with the smartphone&rsquo;s evolution but has typically been one step ahead. (For example, which came first, the Apple iPhone or 3G? Answer: Apple iPhone 2007, 3G early 2000s.)Today, cellular wireless technology&rsquo;s focus has expanded from smartphones (including tablets) to the IoT. This started in 2017 with the launch of the two flavors of long-range <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Low-power-cellular-IoT" rel="noopener" target="_blank">cellular IoT</a> technology, LTE-M and NB-IoT as part of <a href="https://www.3gpp.org/Release-13" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Release 13</a> from the mobile broadband standards organization, <a href="https://www.3gpp.org/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">3GPP</a>.<h2>Non-cellular wireless</h2>That&rsquo;s why it would be very unwise to ignore the adoption and publication in June 2020 by <a href="https://www.etsi.org/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ETSI</a> (the European Standardization Organization) of the first-ever non-cellular wireless technology: <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/DECT-NR?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NR+</a>.NR+ has also recently been approved as one of the 5G standards set by the <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/Pages/default.aspx" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ITU-R</a> (International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector). And the 3GPP added both 5G and NR branding to their IoT offerings starting with <a href="https://www.3gpp.org/release-15" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Release 15</a>.That&rsquo;s a clean sweep as far as cellular wireless technology approval and adoption goes. NR+ could not target at the IoT more and cellular&rsquo;s traditional smartphone market less. Plus, if the cellular world has called this one right, NR+ will become a key player in massive IoT.<h2>What&rsquo;s massive about NR+?</h2>In the simplest possible terms: NR+ is a license-free technology (like ISM band wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and unlike traditional cellular, which is based on licensed spectrum), but will now be built, standardized, and maintained as a cellular-like wireless tech. This will include, for example, a radio physical layer (PHY) and the use of signal modulation and coding schemes that will be instantly familiar to any cellular engineer.And again, unlike traditional cellular, NR+ will not require a cellular base station to operate. It will operate as a private network using the global, license-exempt 1.9 GHz band, requiring no frequency planning or spectrum leasing costs.But NR+ will be a state-of-the-art 5G technology that promises to deliver all the benefits of cellular at a much lower cost. These include the seamless ability to scale globally to not just millions but billions of IoT nodes, with cellular&rsquo;s legendary security and reliability (beyond a few dead spots due more to the physics of electromagnetic wave propagation and interference than any technical shortcomings in cellular).<h2>Failure is not an option</h2>NR+ is a pure-play IoT wireless technology that promises to deliver ultra-reliable wireless connectivity in completely new machine-to-machine (M2M) applications where failure is not an option. Think autonomous self-driving vehicles or high-speed robots that operate alongside human factory or warehouse workers, for example. Or critical infrastructure in buildings, cities, and utilities networks.This reliability will exceed that of wired installations such as Ethernet. This is because NR+ will employ self-healing mesh networking techniques that eliminate single points of failure. And NR+ promises latencies matching that of wired networks from the start. Nordic&rsquo;s first nRF91 Series-based NR+ solution, for instance, will offer one-millisecond latency between devices and throughput of 3 Mbps.This reliability and performance will apply to device densities up to one million devices per square kilometer. It&#39;s a performance that makes NR+ a unique wireless technology in a class of its own.<h2>Private 5G for all</h2>There&rsquo;s a big market for private 4G and 5G networks in the M2M space, so the need and desire for network ownership are already proven.What&rsquo;s hindered the rollout of private 4G and 5G networks to date has not been the technology but rather the cost. Building and licensing your own &lsquo;G&rsquo; network isn&rsquo;t cheap. And it wouldn&rsquo;t support billions of node applications operating nearby either. This has limited the market to only those companies that can afford it. For SMEs, private 4G or 5G has been a financial non-starter.What NR+ promises to do is democratize access to massive IoT over private 5G-type networks in a way that is well suited to larger-scale M2M applications and particularly the most massive ones in markets such as industrial, smart agriculture, and smart city.&nbsp;And all at a low per-node cost and based on a robust, efficient, and self-organizing network that makes commercial viability a given.This could unleash the creativity of the world&rsquo;s best developers and engineers working within the most creative companies: small to medium-sized startups. The cellular industry&rsquo;s adoption of NR+ may just become as critical and beneficial to the world as its previous technological generations.<hr>This article was first published on Nordic&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" id="isPasted"></a><a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Get Connected Blog</a>. &nbsp;

DECT NR+ (NR+) will be the first-ever, non-cellular wireless technology to become part of a cellular generation (“G”) standard, starting with 5G. It's also license-free and targets massive IoT applications targeting millions or billions of nodes.

Could DECT NR+ democratize massive IoT in 5G?

Some materials, like wood, are insulators that block the flow of electricity. Conductors, such as copper, allow for electricity to flow through them. Other materials &mdash; semiconductors &mdash; can be either/or depending on conditions such as applied electric field or temperature. Unlike wood or copper or silicon, though, topological insulators (TIs) are an exotic state of matter that is conductive on the surface, but not in the bulk. Such unique material properties have great scientific implications and could be of use in a range of technologies, including wireless communications, radar and quantum information processing.Through a collaborative effort, the research lab of Aravind Nagulu, assistant professor in the Preston M. Green Department of Electrical &amp; Systems Engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, worked on the project led by co-principal investigators Harish Krishnaswamy, associate professor at Columbia University, and Andrea Al&ugrave;, professor at City University of New York&rsquo;s Advanced Science Research Center. They have demonstrated the first implementation of an electromagnetic topological insulator on an integrated chip. The collaborative project&rsquo;s findings were published May 2 in the journal Nature Electronics. This work is led by Columbia University and City University of New York Advance Science Research Center.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1653563866344-floquet.png" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">First Floquet topological insulator on an integrated circuit. Arrows shows how transistors are used to achieve non-reciprocity. (Image courtesy of Aravind Nagulu)&nbsp;&ldquo;Topological Insulators have very interesting properties and are useful on their own. However, their real potential emerges when they are coupled with non-reciprocal properties,&rdquo; Nagulu said.Non-reciprocity ensures one-way propagation to the electromagnetic (EM) waves. This property can be used in full-duplex communication, a method that allows for transmission and receipt of data using the same frequency at the same time in an efficient manner, thereby doubling the spectral capacity. Additionally, TIs with non-reciprocal properties prevent the decay of signal strength due to back-scattering if the wave comes into contact with any deformities or irregularities within the medium.The team was able to use precisely engineered time-modulation of transistor switches to achieve non-reciprocity and topological insulating properties on a standard semiconductor IC without the need for exotic materials or extreme conditions.This tiny integrated chip couples the exotic fields of TIs with real-world application. It can also re-route the EM waves on demand by reconfiguring the individual unit-cells in the lattice, creating a fabric that flexibly and arbitrarily routes EM waves. The team demonstrated how a reconfigurable integrated circuit can be used for emerging 5G wireless applications such as multi-antenna full-duplex wireless communications and multi-antenna impulse radar.Read Columbia&#39;s release&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ee.columbia.edu/news/columbia-cuny-and-washington-university-team-demonstrate-first-topological-insulator-chip" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;<hr>This work was supported by the DARPA SPAR program; the AFOSR MURI program; the Office of Naval Research; and the Department of Defense.

Integrated circuit design also could support exponentially more wireless devices

New tech can double spectral bandwidth in some 5G systems

This is the sixth and the final article in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/next-gen-wi-fi-applications-and-solutions" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">6-part series</a>&nbsp;featuring articles on Next-Gen Wi-Fi Applications and Solutions. The series focuses on the improvements Wi-Fi 6/6E and its applications bring to enhance the performance of the next-gen wireless networking devices. This series is sponsored by Mouser Electronics. Through the sponsorship, Mouser Electronics shares its passion for technologies that enable smarter and connected applications.As discussed in the previous articles of our Next-Gen Wi-Fi Applications and Solutions Series, improving wireless communication performance is no longer limited to just pushing the limits of raw data transfer rates. To offer an improved user experience, it is necessary to mitigate interference and optimize the use of the available frequency spectrum in the best possible way.The sixth and the final article of the ongoing series examines the interference problem in-depth and explains how Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW) technology offers a promising solution to maximize spectrum utilization by high-precision filtering to recover signals with greater noise immunity.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Solving the Interference Problem</h2>Cellular networks, Wi-Fi, ZigBee&reg;, Bluetooth&reg;, and several other protocols all share a common Radio Frequency (RF) space. They use different modulation schemes, channel widths, channel spacings, and frequency-hopping algorithms.&nbsp;As next-generation services and devices emerge, more frequencies, bandwidth, coexistence, and interference immunity is needed. This means claiming more of the spectrum that was lost using older technologies.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUzMjQxMTE3NzgzLTE2NTMyNDExMTc3ODMucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii" alt="interferences-in-wifi">Fig. 1: Wi-Fi devices suffer from internal as well as external interference all the time. Source: Mouser-QorvoSpectrum utilization is the key, and as the move from 3G to 4G increased the number of bands from 5 to 40, recovering clean signals from a world of muddying interference is getting tougher.&nbsp;<iframe id="641adb382efaf40008a1771d" width="250" class="specs-iframe" height="420" src="https://wevolver.com/iframe/specs/digilent-b200-ettus-usrp-cognitive-radio?iframe=true" frameborder="0" scrolling="true" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe>In other words, for reaching deep into a turbulent pool of RF, more precision filtering is needed to recover stronger and more reliable signals with improved noise immunity. And with handheld devices that feature multiprotocol transceivers that can operate simultaneously, the need for 40 filters is not uncommon. Even within a home setting, Wi-Fi routers suffer, and end-point devices fall victim here as well.<h2 dir="ltr">Improving Performance Through Precision Filtering</h2>Key to improving performance are filters, but older space-eating Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) filter technologies are reaching a brick wall as far as being effective solutions to the doubling of RF bands is concerned.&nbsp;Supplanting SAW filters is BAW technology. Both are forms of electromechanical resonators. The structure of the BAW resonator consists of a thin layer of a piezoelectric material sandwiched between two electrodes. When an electric field is applied across the electrodes, the piezoelectric crystal excites an acoustic wave. As the wave propagates through the surface, cavities are formed between the electrodes. [1]This technology can handle higher power levels than SAW devices. Electric current distributes more freely, and there are no narrow channels of fingers prone to electromigration damage as in SAW filters. Bulk filters have been used to partition the bands and are proving a more reliable bandwidth within the band. BAW technology extends the edges of the filters while maintaining sharp band edges.&nbsp;BAW filters, which can be made using crystal quartz, can be 1000 times smaller than ceramic technologies while retaining low cost at high-volume manufacturing. As this technology takes over older SAW solutions, new and tightly packed filters can allow smaller, more clever use of specific bands and power levels to set up a true next-generation band-sharing technique.&nbsp;To sum it all up, here is a list of key advantages BAW filters offer:<ul><li dir="ltr">Sharp band edges:&nbsp;Systems using BAW filters showcase a high rejection in the frequencies outside of the band edges. This helps in reducing the leakage of signal outside the used frequencies.</li><li dir="ltr">Smaller size: Whole BAW filter can be fabricated on a single IC as opposed to some crystal oscillators that require a dedicated footprint and a triggering Resistor-Capacitor (RC) circuit. This feature helps in the size reduction of the PCB used in the end product.</li><li dir="ltr">Temperature stability: Though the products are designed to work at 25 &deg;C, in practical applications, the temperatures can go up to 60-80 &deg;C due to high ambient temperatures and heat emitted by other components. BAW filters are more resilient to these extremities as compared to SAW filters.</li></ul>All the observations point to a single direction, and that is towards a system with less interference than ever before.<h2 dir="ltr">New Ways of Partitioning and Preferential Allocation of Bands</h2>WiFi 6E&rsquo;s expansion in the 6 GHz band grants more number of non-overlapping channels for connected devices to communicate over. The jump from 5 GHz to 6 GHz band is a pretty significant upgrade than it may appear at first.<div align="left" dir="ltr"><table><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;">2.4 GHz</td><td style="text-align: center;">5 GHz</td><td style="text-align: center;">6 GHz</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;">20 MHz</td><td style="text-align: center;">3 channels</td><td style="text-align: center;">25&nbsp;channels</td><td style="text-align: center;">60&nbsp;channels</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;">40 MHz</td><td style="text-align: center;">1&nbsp;channel</td><td style="text-align: center;">12&nbsp;channels</td><td style="text-align: center;">29&nbsp;channels</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;">80 MHz</td><td style="text-align: center;">N.A.</td><td style="text-align: center;">6&nbsp;channels</td><td style="text-align: center;">14&nbsp;channels</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;">160 MHz</td><td style="text-align: center;">N.A.</td><td style="text-align: center;">2&nbsp;channels</td><td style="text-align: center;">7 channels</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Table 1: Number of non-overlapping channels in Wi-FiWith just a GHz increase in the frequency, the latest WiFi standard increases the number of non-overlapping channels by more double compared to the 5 GHz band. One of the reasons for such a large increase in the number of channels is the unavailability of bands reserved for RADARs in the sub-5 GHz frequencies, which is not a concern in the 5-6 GHz frequencies.To make use of all the available channels to the fullest and transition between interfering bands, engineers can make use of BAW filters in their designs. These filters help to avoid interference from band to band and are large enablers of capacity increase. For customers, this translates to reduced interference and an increase in the effective range of the devices. Multiple users can communicate at the same time with the router.&nbsp;With improved filters exhibiting higher power levels, taking up less space, device-specific and even protocol-specific partitioning of the airwaves can take place. Additionally, design engineers can classify power levels based on criticality, throughput, or other importance so that channel assignments for noncritical transmissions avoid these channels.&nbsp;For example, a high-speed streaming multimedia link has higher bandwidth needs than SMS texting services. An interruption in the streaming could be a turnoff if insufficient bandwidth or buffering is used. On the other hand, seconds of delay in SMS services would not even be noticed.&nbsp;By the same token, newly emerging medical devices connected to the Internet of Things could use specific subsets of the newly evolved bandwidth to assure the most reliability while monitoring a patient or transferring error-free vitals. Even assigned fallback channels can be used to increase reliability.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">High-performance BAW filters for cutting edge RF applications by Qorvo</h2>As RF technology achieves new heights with each passing generation of Wi-Fi, cellular, and several other wireless communication networks, a precise filter is required to support wideband and high-frequency designs. Qorvo&rsquo;s innovations in BAW technology are vital components in advanced filtering solutions for mobile products, radars, and other wireless communication technologies.&nbsp;Qorvo BAW filters range from 1.5 GHz to 9 GHz, encompassing the consumer wireless bands as well as carrier services. Parts such as the <a href="https://www.mouser.com/new/qorvo/qorvo-qpq1909-baw-filter/" target="_blank">QPQ1909SR</a> perform signal-conditioning filtration within the 2402MHz to 2494 MHz bands for Wi-Fi bandage (Figure 1). Terminating into 50 Ω, the low 0.8 dB to 1.2 dB insertion loss is essential for maintaining signal integrity. <img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUzMjQxOTkyNjMzLUFydGljbGUgNCAoMSkuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii" alt=" Qorvo QPQ1909 Wi-Fi">Fig. 2: Qorvo QPQ1909 Wi-Fi&reg; edgeBoost&trade; BAW Filter: Packing multiple high-performance RF front-end filters in smaller space while improving performance lets hexaplexers such as this multiband filter provide superior performance in smaller designs. Source: Mouser/QorvoBAW designs use the high-performance high-power edge boost Wi-Fi technology for channels 1 through 14. This means end-users will see a better quality of service as well as higher regulatory power allowances (to +30 dBm averaged input power). Note how the higher performance channels in conjunction with a priority scheme can ensure more reliable data communications to more critical applications.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUzMjQxOTc0NzIwLUFydGljbGUgNC5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" class="fr-fic fr-dii" alt="Qorvo QPQ1909EVB01 Active Filter Development Tools Evaluation Board">Fig. 3 Qorvo QPQ1909EVB01 Active Filter Development Tools Evaluation Board. For those willing to get started with BAW designs, resources like QPQ1909EVB01 Active Filter Development Tools Evaluation Board can be a perfect choice. Source: Mouser/QorvoBAW filters are not limited to better Wi-Fi solutions but are also useful for GPS, DiPlexer, Duplexers, and other assorted protocol-specific access points, routers, gateways, and wearables. If you are going to filter, it is a better idea to do it in bulk.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h2>With the introduction of next-generation services and devices, more frequencies, bandwidth, coexistence, and interference immunity are required. As a result, design engineers must maximize spectrum utilization. BAW technology and filters enable the partitioning of frequency bands for more precision filtering to capture stronger and more reliable signals with enhanced noise immunity.To read more about BAW filters and other technologies enabling better Wi-Fi solutions, do check out: <a href="https://www.mouser.com/news/qorvo-ebook/mobile/index.html" target="_blank">Future-Proofing Wi-Fi</a> by Mouser and Qorvo.This article was initially published by Mouser and Qorvo in an <a href="https://www.mouser.com/news/qorvo-wifi6-app-ebook/mobile/index.html" target="_blank">e-magazine</a>. It has been substantially edited by the Wevolver team and Electrical Engineer <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/ravi.rao" target="_blank">Ravi Y Rao</a>. It&#39;s the sixth and the final article from the Next-Gen Wi-Fi Applications and Solutions Series.<ul><li dir="ltr" id="isPasted">The introductory article <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/next-gen-wi-fi-applications-and-solutions" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">provided an overview of wireless communication and the subsequent articles of the series.&nbsp;</a></li><li dir="ltr">The first article&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-evolution-of-wi-fi-networks-from-ieee-80211-to-wi-fi-6e" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">explored the origins and the evolution of WiFi to showcase how the wireless local area networking standard improved over time.</a></li><li dir="ltr">The second article was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-design-philosophy-behind-wi-fi-6e-recent-trends-in-wireless-networking/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">focused on recent trends and the design philosophy behind WiFi 6/6E.</a>&nbsp;The article explains why even with a marginal improvement in raw data rates, WiFi 6/6E is the biggest upgrade yet.</li><li dir="ltr">The third article dives into the technicalities of WiFi 6/6E.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/six-technologies-enabling-wi-fi-6e/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">It explains the 6 enabling technologies of WiFi 6/6E including OFDMA, BSS Coloring, TWT, Beamforming, 8X8 MU-MIMO, and 1024-QAM.</a></li><li dir="ltr">The fourth article is a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/future-of-wireless-communication-wi-fi-6e-or-5g/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">comparison between WiFi and 5G based on some of the key performance parameters.&nbsp;</a>It tries to form a perspective regarding which technology is suitable for different use cases.</li><li>The fifth article features a discussion on where the wireless communication industry is headed to. <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-next-generation-of-wi-fi-in-conversation-with-cees-links/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Concepts like mesh WiFi networks are explored with excerpts from an interview with Cees Links, General Manager of the Low Power Wireless Business Unit in Qorvo and one of the leading pioneers of WiFi.&nbsp;</a></li><li>The final article introduces the readers to the <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/baw-filters-for-performance-improvements-in-wi-fi-5g-and-rf-applications" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">concept, benefits, and applications of BAW filters in WiFi, 5G, and other RF communication systems designs.</a></li></ul><h2 dir="ltr">About the sponsor: Mouser Electronics</h2><a href="https://eu.mouser.com/" target="_blank">Mouser Electronics</a> is a worldwide leading authorized distributor of semiconductors and electronic components for over 1,100 manufacturer brands. They specialize in the rapid introduction of new products and technologies for design engineers and buyers. Their extensive product offering includes semiconductors, interconnects, passives, and electromechanical components.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUzMjQxMTE2NzQ1LTE2NTMyNDExMTY3NDUucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii" alt="mouser-electronics-logo"><h2 dir="ltr">References</h2>[1] Advanced BAW Filter Technology and Its Impact on 5G, Qorvo, [Online], Available from: <a href="https://www.qorvo.com/resources/d/qorvo-advanced-baw-filter-technology-impact-on-5g-white-paper" target="_blank">https://www.qorvo.com/resources/d/qorvo-advanced-baw-filter-technology-impact-on-5g-white-paper</a>

Article #6 of Next-Gen Wi-Fi Applications and Solutions Series: Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW) filters are high-performance chips that help in mitigating interference and reducing the physical size of 5G, Wi-Fi, and other RF communication system designs.

BAW filters for Performance Improvements in Wi-Fi, 5G, and RF Applications

Article #4 of Next-Gen Wi-Fi Applications and Solutions Series: Wi-Fi and cellular networks have both coexisted in the consumer space for decades. A comparison between the most common Radio Frequency (RF) communication technologies reveals where exactly each of them fits in.

Future of Wireless communication: Wi-Fi 6E or 5G?

This is the introductory article in a 6-part series featuring articles on Next-Gen Wi-Fi Applications and Solutions. The series focuses on the improvements Wi-Fi 6/6E and its applications bring to enhance the performance of the next-gen wireless networking devices. This series is sponsored by Mouser Electronics. Through the sponsorship, Mouser Electronics shares its passion for technologies that enable smarter connected applications.The objective of communication systems is to transfer information from one point to another reliably and within an acceptable time delay. But in the modern world, these are just the bare minimum requirements. Users today expect communication systems to offer gigabit speeds at low latencies. The introductory article of this new series aims to make readers familiar with the foundational terms and ideas in the world of wireless communication.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">The Electromagnetic Spectrum and Developments in RF Communication</h2>Electromagnetic (EM) waves having a frequency between 3 kHz and 300 GHz all fall under the category of Radio Frequency (RF) signals. RF is probably the most popular and widely used means of communication via free space/wireless channels. <img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUyNTkzMDg5OTMyLTE2NTI1OTMwODk5MzIucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii" alt="electromagnetic-spectrum">Fig. 1: The electromagnetic spectrumWhile EM waves with a very short wavelength (in nanometers) like X-rays and gamma-rays have the potential to cause damage, RF waves are rather safe and are not known to have any side effects on humans. RF enables wireless communication in computers, smartphones, tablets, televisions, and a huge number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.Guglielmo Marconi, an electrical engineer from Italy, was the first to prove the feasibility of wireless communication back in the late 1890s. Over the next couple of decades, as improvements were made in fabrication technology and large-scale circuit integration, RF equipment got smaller and more reliable. Contributions of various other scientists and engineers finally led RF communication to evolve from a rudimental messaging medium to a full-fledged high-speed data transmission medium.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Basics of RF communication</h2>All signals generated in nature are continuous or analog. They tend to be lossy and hence unfit for transmission in their natural form. To transfer them from one point to another, they need to be converted into digital signals and modulated suitably.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUyNTkzMDkwMTQ0LTE2NTI1OTMwOTAxNDQucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii" alt="RF-communication-block-diagram">Fig. 2: Block diagram of a basic RF communication systemAnalog-to-Digital converters are used to convert the analog signal available at the source into digital data. This digital signal data is then modulated by superimposing it on top of a high-frequency carrier wave. The modulated signal is transmitted via a transmitter antenna through the communication channel. While passing through the communication channel, a certain amount of noise gets added to the signal, which causes distortion in it. When the signal mixed with some noise reaches the receiver, it is demodulated, decoded, and passed through a Digital-to-Analog converter to recover the original message.On a very superficial level, the process remains more or less the same, but the hardware and the method used to actually carry out the process drastically varies between each wireless communication system.<h2 dir="ltr">Understanding RF Signal degradation</h2>The noise generated by the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT devices has wreaked havoc with sensors and communication systems.[1] Systems emitting the radiation and the ones that are affected by it must be designed specifically to reduce the emissions and be tolerant to external radiation, respectively.Just like other EM waves, RF too exhibits some characteristic behaviors like reflection, refraction absorption, diffraction, and scattering. Due to these factors (which naturally take place in the environment sometimes), the RF signals tend to undergo a change in their frequency, wavelength, time period, phase, or maybe all of them and a few others.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUyNTkzMDkxMTMwLTE2NTI1OTMwOTExMzAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii" alt="rf-wave-behavior-properties-scattering-reflection-diffraction-refraction-absorption">Fig. 3: Behavior and interactions of RF wavesAn important parameter to measure signal clarity is Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR). SNR, as the name suggests, is a measure of how dominant noise is in a particular signal. As the value of SNR approaches unity, the quality of the signal and the transmission increase. SNR along with Received Signal Strength&nbsp;<iframe id="66757a52af77e394067be55a" width="250" class="specs-iframe" height="440" src="https://wevolver.com/iframe/specs/advantech-wlnna-series-evaluation-kit?iframe=true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> Indicator (RSSI) and noise floor levels are the three parameters widely used to determine the overall quality of RF signals.<h2 dir="ltr">Towards a connected future</h2>The biggest challenge today is not about discovering new ways to increase the raw data rates. It’s all about protecting signals from degradation. Attenuation and losses that occur through the communication channel must be controlled to make use of the existing hardware to its fullest.<h2 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h2>Cutting-edge technologies that require a high-speed network connection are driving wireless data transfer needs to new heights like never before. At the same time, there is a rapid increase in the number of devices deployed in homes and industries. These factors contribute to the complexities of building the perfect wireless communication system for present times.&nbsp;This series takes you through the historical developments, challenges, enabling technologies, and some applications of RF communication. Throughout the series, the focus shall be on Wi-Fi 6/6E and the technologies enabling the latest wireless local area networking standard.&nbsp;However, references, explanations, and comparisons related to other RF communication technologies like 5G, Bluetooth®, &nbsp;Zigbee® and Matter will be added as and when needed. We’ll also share an article containing excerpts from an interview with industry pioneer Cees Links, in which we discuss where the communication industry is headed. Finally, we’ll take a look at Bulk Acoustic Wave filters and how they improve RF communication system design.This article is based on an <a href="https://www.mouser.com/news/qorvo-wifi6-app-ebook/mobile/index.html" target="_blank">e-magazine</a> published by Mouser and Qorvo. It has been substantially edited by the Wevolver team and Electrical Engineer <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/ravi.rao" target="_blank">Ravi Y Rao</a>. It's the introductory article to the Next-Gen Wi-Fi Applications and Solutions Series. Future articles will introduce readers to some interesting applications of the technology in various industries.<ul><li dir="ltr" id="isPasted">The introductory article <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/next-gen-wi-fi-applications-and-solutions" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">provided an overview of wireless communication and the subsequent articles of the series.&nbsp;</a></li><li dir="ltr">The first article&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-evolution-of-wi-fi-networks-from-ieee-80211-to-wi-fi-6e" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">explored the origins and the evolution of WiFi to showcase how the wireless local area networking standard improved over time.</a></li><li dir="ltr">The second article was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-design-philosophy-behind-wi-fi-6e-recent-trends-in-wireless-networking/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">focused on recent trends and the design philosophy behind WiFi 6/6E.</a>&nbsp;The article explains why even with a marginal improvement in raw data rates, WiFi 6/6E is the biggest upgrade yet.</li><li dir="ltr">The third article dives into the technicalities of WiFi 6/6E.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/six-technologies-enabling-wi-fi-6e/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">It explains the 6 enabling technologies of WiFi 6/6E including OFDMA, BSS Coloring, TWT, Beamforming, 8X8 MU-MIMO, and 1024-QAM.</a></li><li dir="ltr">The fourth article is a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/future-of-wireless-communication-wi-fi-6e-or-5g/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">comparison between WiFi and 5G based on some of the key performance parameters.&nbsp;</a>It tries to form a perspective regarding which technology is suitable for different use cases.</li><li>The fifth article features a discussion on where the wireless communication industry is headed to. <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-next-generation-of-wi-fi-in-conversation-with-cees-links/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Concepts like mesh WiFi networks are explored with excerpts from an interview with Cees Links, General Manager of the Low Power Wireless Business Unit in Qorvo and one of the leading pioneers of WiFi.&nbsp;</a></li><li>The final article introduces the readers to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/baw-filters-for-performance-improvements-in-wi-fi-5g-and-rf-applications" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">concept, benefits, and applications of BAW filters in WiFi, 5G, and other RF communication systems designs.</a></li></ul><h2 dir="ltr">About the sponsor: Mouser Electronics</h2><a href="https://eu.mouser.com/" target="_blank">Mouser Electronics</a> is a worldwide leading authorized distributor of semiconductors and electronic components for over 1,100 manufacturer brands. They specialize in the rapid introduction of new products and technologies for design engineers and buyers. Their extensive product offering includes semiconductors, interconnects, passives, and electromechanical components.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUyNTkzMDg5MzY4LTE2NTI1OTMwODkzNjgucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii" alt="mouser-electronics-logo"><h2 dir="ltr">References</h2>[1] Paul Pickering, ‘Factory 4.0: The Biggest Problem May Be the Noise You Can't Hear’, Mouser Electronics, [Online], Available from: &nbsp;<a href="https://www.mouser.com/applications/industry-4-0-noise/" target="_blank">https://www.mouser.com/applications/industry-4-0-noise/</a>

Introducing the Next-Gen Wi-Fi Applications and Solutions Series: Dive into the world of cutting-edge wireless communication. This new series introduces and explains the developments in Wi-Fi, 5G, and other RF technologies.

Next-gen Wi-Fi applications and Solutions

Cellular IoT is gaining momentum. The technologies LTE-M and NB-IoT are widely available as of today. 110 operators claim to have LTE-M and/or NB-IoT networks available and at least a dozen others are preparing their rollout as we speak. Over the past 14 years, LTE Cat 1 has proven itself as a good candidate for many IoT applications and led to the release of a new version of this category to make it better suitable for IoT application called: LTE Cat 1bis.While LTE-M, NB-IoT and LTE Cat 1(bis) technologies are growing in popularity, we see operators preparing the sunset of their 2G and 3G networks to reduce operational expenses and free up spectrum. In addition, public unlicensed networks don&#39;t seem to live up to their promise, looking at <a href="https://iot.eetimes.com/sigfox-files-for-bankruptcy-protection-to-survive-the-pandemic/" target="_blank">Sigfox filing for bankruptcy protection</a> and Bouygues Telecom <a href="https://objenious.com/blogpost/33947/" target="_blank">announcing</a> to shut down their public LoRaWAN network and focus on their cellular LPWAN technologies LTE-M and NB-IoT.&nbsp;When considering to start using cellular LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network), 2022 might be the perfect year. The technology has proven itself, networks are ready to use and hardware is widely available.<h2 dir="ltr">What do we mean with Cellular IoT?</h2>A brief history of LTE There is no such thing as an LTE standard. Instead there is a multitude of technologies that fall under the LTE umbrella. These technologies can be roughly classified into 2 groups: MBB (Mobile Broadband) and MTC (Machine Type Communication). With MBB technologies such as LTE Cat 4 and Cat 6 focussing on high data throughput and low latency, MTC aims at cutting down costs, improving link budget and reducing power consumption.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUxNTE5NDgwODIzLXdpcmVsZXNzIGV2b2x1dGlvbi5wbmciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Cellular IoT refers to MTC and allows sensors and actuators to be connected to the Internet. IoT devices require long-range connectivity (due to a large link-budget) as many devices are installed in remote and often hard to reach locations, low power consumption as most devices run on batteries for years and low cost as IoT deployments often come in large volumes.Cellular technologies designed for IoT devices are LTE Cat 1 (including Cat 1bis), LTE-M (also referred to as LTE Cat-M1 or eMTC) and NB-IoT (also called LTE Cat-NB). As of today, we see these technologies being used in smart city applications such as smart street lighting and payment terminals or points of sales. In agriculture to track livestock or precision agriculture and in the logistics industry to track valuable assets or optimize warehouse management.&nbsp;As shown in the coverage map below, large parts of Europe, North America and Oceania are already covered by LTE-M and NB-IoT technology, as well as several countries in Asia and South America. This makes asset tracking particularly interesting now that networks are widely available and goods can be tracked cross-border. In order to support LTE-M and NB-IoT, existing LTE cell towers require a software upgrade. LTE Cat 1(bis) however, is supported by all LTE infrastructure, making it a truly global standard as of today.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjUxNTE5MzA5OTY0LUNvdmVyYWdlIG1hcCAyLnBuZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">LTE-M and/or NB-IoT coverage.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gsma.com/iot/deployment-map/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Source GSMA</a><a href="https://www.gsma.com/iot/deployment-map/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a>Getting started with cellular IoTMonogoto allows developers to kickstart their cellular IoT journey. The Monogoto Developer program comprising multiple virtual training sessions, covers the ins-and-outs of cellular IoT and supports developers in building their next IoT project with LTE-M technology.Topics covered<ul><li dir="ltr">Fundamentals of cellular IoT</li><li dir="ltr">AT Commands</li><li dir="ltr">Power optimization using eDRX &amp; PSM</li><li dir="ltr">Integrating and acting on sensor data</li><li dir="ltr">Working with Monogoto&rsquo;s API</li><li dir="ltr">Breaking down real-life IoT use cases</li></ul><a href="https://lp.monogoto.io/developers-program-workshop-recording" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Learn more</a>

The technologies LTE-M, NB-IoT and LTE Cat 1bis are widely available as of today. 2022 might be the perfect year to kickstart your cellular IoT journey.

Cellular IoT is gaining momentum

5G+ (5G/Beyond 5G) is the fastest-growing segment and the only significant opportunity for investment growth in the wireless network infrastructure market, according to <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021-08-04-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-5g-network-infrastrucutre-revenue-to-grow-39pc-in-2021" target="_blank">the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc.</a> But currently 5G+ technologies rely on large antenna arrays that are typically bulky and come only in very limited sizes, making them difficult to transport and expensive to customize.Researchers from Georgia Tech&rsquo;s College of Engineering have developed a novel and flexible solution to address the problem. Their additively manufactured tile-based approach can construct on-demand, massively scalable arrays of 5G+ (5G/Beyond 5G)‐enabled smart skins with the potential to enable intelligence on nearly any surface or object. The study, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-06096-9" target="_blank">recently published in Scientific Reports</a>, describes the approach, which is not only much easier to scale and customize than current practices, but features no performance degradation whenever flexed or scaled to a very large number of tiles.&ldquo;Typically, there are a lot of smaller wireless network systems working together, but they are not scalable. With the current techniques, you can&rsquo;t increase, decrease, or direct bandwidth, especially for very large areas,&rdquo; said <a href="https://www.ece.gatech.edu/faculty-staff-directory/emmanouil-m-tentzeris" target="_blank">Manos&nbsp;Tentzeris</a>, Ken Byers Professor in Flexible Electronics in the <a href="https://www.ece.gatech.edu/" target="_blank">School of Electrical and Computer Engineering</a>. &ldquo;Being able to utilize and scale this novel tile-based approach makes this possible.&rdquo;Tentzeris says his team&rsquo;s modular application equipped with 5G+ capability has the potential for immediate, large-scale impact as the telecommunications industry continues to rapidly transition to standards for faster, higher capacity, and lower latency communications.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1650450472835-ezgif-3-aff1b43ed3.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Genaro Soto Valle, Manos Tentzeris, Kexin Hu, and Yepu Cui with the fabricated proof-of-concept tile arrays and inkjet-printed tile arrays.&nbsp;<h2><style type="text/css" id="isPasted"></style><style type="text/css"></style>Building The Tiles</h2>In Georgia Tech&rsquo;s new approach, flexible and additively manufactured tiles are assembled onto a single, flexible underlying layer. This allows tile arrays to be attached to a multitude of surfaces. The architecture also allows for very large 5G+ phased/electronically steerable antenna array networks to be installed on-the-fly. According to Tentzeris, attaching a tile array to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is even a possibility to surge broadband capacity in low coverage areas.In the study, the team fabricated a proof-of-concept, flexible 5&times;5-centimeter tile array and wrapped it around a 3.5-centimeter radius curvature. Each tile includes an antenna subarray and an integrated, beamforming integrated circuit on an underlying tiling layer to create a smart skin that can seamlessly interconnect the tiles into very large antenna arrays and massive multiple-input multiple-outputs (MIMOs) &mdash; the practice of housing two or more antennas within a single wireless device. Tile-based array architectures on rigid surfaces with single antenna elements have been researched before, but do not include the modularity, additive manufacturability, or flexible implementation of the Georgia Tech design.The proposed modular tile approach means tiles of identical sizes can be manufactured in large quantities and are easily replaceable, reducing the cost of customization and repairs. Essentially, this approach combines removable elements, modularity, massive scalability, low cost, and flexibility into one system.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1650450494887-5G%2B%E2%80%90enabled+Massively+Scalable+Tile+Arrays_72.jpg" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Two fabricated proof-of-concept tile are shown alongside two inkjet-printed tile arrays, which the team will present on at the upcoming International Microwave Symposium in June.&nbsp;<h2><style type="text/css" id="isPasted"></style><style type="text/css"></style>5G+ Is Just The Beginning</h2>While the tiling architecture has demonstrated the ability to greatly enhance 5G+ technologies, its combination of flexible and conformal capabilities has the potential to be applied in numerous different environments, the Georgia Tech team says.&ldquo;The shape and features of each tile scale can be singular and can accommodate different frequency bands and power levels,&rdquo; said Tentzeris. &ldquo;One could have communications capabilities, another sensing capabilities, and another could be an energy harvester tile for solar, thermal, or ambient RF energy. The application of the tile framework is not limited to communications.&rdquo;Internet of Things, virtual reality, as well as smart manufacturing/Industry 4.0 &mdash; a technology-driven approach that utilizes internet-connected &ldquo;intelligent&rdquo; machinery to monitor and fully automate the production process &mdash; are additional areas of application the team is excited to explore.&ldquo;The tile-architecture&rsquo;s mass scalability makes its applications particularly diverse and virtually ubiquitous. From structures the size of dams and buildings, to machinery or cars, down to individual health-monitoring wearables,&rdquo; said Tentzeris. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re moving in a direction where everything will be covered in some type of a wireless conformal smart skin encompassing electronically steerable antenna arrays of widely diverse sizes that will allow for effective monitoring.&rdquo;The team now looks forward to testing the approach outside the lab on large, real-world structures. They are currently working on the fabrication of much larger, fully inkjet-printed tile arrays (256+ elements) that will be presented at the upcoming International Microwave Symposium (IEEE IMS 2022) &ndash; the flagship IEEE conference in RF and microwave engineering. The IMS presentation will introduce a new tile-based large-area architecture version that will allow assembly of customizable tile arrays in a rapid and low-cost fashion for numerous conformal platforms and 5G+ enabled applications.<hr>The authors declare no competing interests.This work was supported in part by the&nbsp;National Science Foundation.CITATIONS: He, X., Cui, Y. &amp; Tentzeris, M.M. Tile-based massively scalable MIMO and phased arrays for 5G/B5G-enabled smart skins and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces. Sci Rep 12, 2741 (2022). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-06096-9" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-06096-9</a>K.Hu, G.S.V.Angulo, Y.Cui and M.M.Tentzeris, &ldquo;Flexible and Scalable Additively Manufactured Tile-Based Phased Arrays for Satellite Communications and 5G mmWave Applications,&rdquo; accepted for presentation at IEEE International Microwave Symposium (IMS) 2022, Denver, CO, June 2022.

The fabricated proof-of-concept tile arrays recently detailed in "Scientific Reports."

Manos Tentzeris and his team of Georgia Tech researchers flex their novel 5G+‐enabled massively scalable tile arrays

The Future of 5G+ Infrastructure Could be Built Tile by Tile

This is the first article in a 5-part series exploring the connectivity solutions for the future of transportation. The series will detail various connectivity challenges engineers face and describe the technology that will provide the solutions to enhance transportation and driving experience.The articles were originally published in an&nbsp;<a href="https://molex.mouser.com/automotive/molexmouser-transportation-5-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">e-magazine</a>, and have been substantially edited by Wevolver to update them and make them available on the Wevolver platform. This series is sponsored by <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__www.wevolver.com_profile_mouser.electronics%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3DvY6N1du11amUSmqXT2U6Yqw6I-si6nWulSErsUHFzRg%26r%3DSX8WJj6aBgJIIamuSnM4Yt_gptnhANsfatuq48mvISE%26m%3DyAseMaUq5bncSFw7awZYCd6-LFuj7JUMoFVnLZ0EiuI%26s%3DsoknzwYJIHiBfjy9DIRkBWyE_dlFWt-WvB0UPPeQEz0%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1620315502463000&usg=AFQjCNHaRorgw8OG_RW0F1eYcxt6aXFVQg" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.wevolver.com_profile_mouser.electronics&d=DwMFaQ&c=vY6N1du11amUSmqXT2U6Yqw6I-si6nWulSErsUHFzRg&r=SX8WJj6aBgJIIamuSnM4Yt_gptnhANsfatuq48mvISE&m=yAseMaUq5bncSFw7awZYCd6-LFuj7JUMoFVnLZ0EiuI&s=soknzwYJIHiBfjy9DIRkBWyE_dlFWt-WvB0UPPeQEz0&e=" target="_blank">Mouser Electronics</a>, an online distributor of electronic components. Through their sponsorship, Mouser Electronics supports engineers in building a highly connected transport future in addition to knowledge sharing on related topics of electric vehicles, 5G, and autonomous transport. &nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Introduction</h2>According to the 2019 <a href="https://www.ericsson.com/en/mobility-report" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ericsson Mobility Report</a>, by 2025, 2.6-billion 5G subscriptions will cover up to 65 percent of the world&#39;s population and transmit about 45 percent of the world&#39;s mobile data traffic. Forecasts also suggest Long-Term Evolution (LTE) will peak in 2022 at 5.4 billion subscriptions and will decline to 4.8 billion by the end of 2025 as LTE subscriptions migrate to 5G.Those figures hint at 5G&#39;s market potential, especially considering that the study does not include the Internet of Things (IoT) or Connected Cars. Yet, they are a crucial target group for 5G devices &ndash; after all, the new standard pursues the goal of integrating machines and mobile communications for the first time.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjIwMjMwNzMzMzQ5LUlNQUdFIDEtMDEtMDEuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Illustration showing a car driving on a highway connected to infrastructure via 5G.">Figure 1: The connected vehicle as part of the IoT environment. Source: Molex/Wevolver5G is, therefore, not just an issue for the telecommunications sector but other branches of industry as well. For example, the automotive industry sees it as a means of achieving future visions, most notably the long-publicized - and safe - introduction of the Level 4 or 5-capable autonomous vehicle. That task will require overcoming several obstacles, including the continued development of 5G standards and implementing security features in the Connected Car and challenges such as integrating the technology into the vehicle and antenna alignment.&nbsp;This article addresses these 5G implementation questions, deals with developing powerful 5G antennas, and discusses security standards in the Connected Car. Finally, it illustrates the possibilities that 5G offers a Connected Vehicle and the economy.<div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjIwMjMwOTUzODM4LUlNQUdFIDItMDEuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Figure 2: Mobile subscriptions by technologies (in millions).<h2 class="fr-img-space-wrap2">Current Status and Application Areas of 5G</h2></div>The introduction of the new 5G mobile standard is currently being introduced. Initial requirements for the standard have been set while its detailed definition and subsequent implementation are now in the process of being launched. The successor to the current mobile standard LTE (4G) is intended to reduce latency, deliver higher bandwidth, and facilitate the creation of new possible applications thanks to its enhanced performance. There will be several development levels or releases.Standardization of 5G started in 2016 and was formalized with Release 15 (R15), published by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in June 2019. This publication determined the specifications for current 5G mobile devices, including CPEs and handsets. It also set two frequency ranges: Frequency Range 1 (FR1) with frequency bands previously below 6GHz and now (per R16) below 7.125GHz; and Frequency Range 2 (FR2), with frequency bands below 52.6GHz, including a part of the so-called mmWave spectrum.&nbsp;Release 16 (R16) was delayed until June 2020 &nbsp;by COVID-19 and fixed 5G/NR-V2X. Future releases will address other topics, such as the integration of higher frequency bands up to 100GHz. Content for Release 17 (R17) is targeted for completion by March 2022, and R18 will address new topics with a completion target of late 2022/early 2023.<h2 dir="ltr">Huge Potential for 5G in Three Application Areas</h2>The consumer sector, enhanced mobile broadband - eMBB, is the first area to benefit from the widespread development of 5G technologies. More significant traffic and lower network power consumption are expected to enable many devices simultaneously without network losses. This has the potential to improve user convenience and quality of experience (QoE), for example, boosting network capacity for large crowds - such as at concerts or sporting events - where many personal devices are used concurrently in concentrated numbers.A second application area is massive machine-type communication (mMTC). This issue is becoming more relevant, especially when concerned with networking devices as part of the Internet of Things (IoT). The objective will be to enable communication of up to one million connected devices per square kilometer.However, it is primarily the third potential application area that has aroused the automotive industry&#39;s interest in 5G: ultra-reliable low latency (URLL), ensuring reliable connections and short transmission times. ULL is vital to progressing self-driving vehicle technology.5G holds the key to optimizing the integration of mobile communications into vehicles. As a result, several stakeholders are involved in defining 5G standards. Whereas the big players in the communications industry defined the existing standards, such as UMTS and LTE, new players who see the benefits 5G can bring are getting in on the act.&nbsp;For this purpose, the automotive industry has established the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA), a body for defining 5G standardization requirements. A standard definition is vital so that efficient communication between devices from a host of different manufacturers is possible - for instance, in road traffic.<h2 dir="ltr">Omni-Directional Antennas and Signal Strength Challenges</h2>Even though the automotive industry is very optimistic about the future of 5G, many details still have to be addressed to implement the technology. One challenge is integrating mobile communications and antenna technology, with the ultimate goal of creating a high-performance vehicle communication system.&nbsp;With the need for more bandwidth, 5G will explore a wider operating frequency range from 6GHz to 100GHz. Currently, those signals are transmitted via cable connections from an antenna on a vehicle&#39;s roof to the onboard electronics, often located on the vehicle&#39;s floor or dashboard. Sending signals from the antenna to the electronics via cable would result in considerable losses.&nbsp;That means the electronics, and thus signal processing must be positioned close to the antenna - such as within the roof or in the antenna itself, leading to potential packaging problems. Fluctuating weather conditions and temperatures can have a severe impact on the electronics&#39; performance and operating lifecycle. Currently, relatively few manufacturers are able to develop concepts that combine multiple hidden antennas with electronics that can meet the demands of the automotive industry.The frequency range from 6GHz to 100GHz increases radio field attenuation, which means signals are received from a shorter distance. That results in problems with omnidirectional antennas, which cannot then receive signals or can do so only to a limited extent. Although the reception can be increased through the pinpointed alignment of an antenna, devices must instead employ a larger number of antennas. As a result, there will always be antennas available regardless of the direction of the transmitter. Roadside units must also be equipped with directional antennas to transmit the signal to devices in passing cars. Some antenna manufacturers, including Molex, are already working together with carmakers to solve this problem.<h2 dir="ltr">The Future of 5G in the Connected Car</h2>5G will progressively replace the current mobile LTE standard. Experts estimate millions of networked cars and trucks are already on roads worldwide and that the promised scenario of zero accidents will encourage this trend as we advance. In other words, 5G will help to realize the future vision of the Connected Car.Until that can become a reality, carmakers are attaching great importance to installing all safety-and security-related sensors in the car itself. These sensors act autonomously, without any networking, and thus do not have to rely on wireless connections which may not yet function well enough.Functions that operate using high-speed wireless connections will enhance convenience and, eventually, driver safety. For example, &nbsp;through the 5G network, a car will be informed of a traffic jam caused by an accident ahead and will then independently select an alternative route to avoid unnecessary delays.&nbsp;However, all the vehicles on our roads will not become smart in one stroke, and our experience to date points to the future we might one day expect. The introduction of new mobile standards does mean that we can expect a new age in which mobile communications act more and more as an enabler for future visions as part of the IoT to dawn a little sooner.<h2 dir="ltr">5GAA</h2>The 5GAA, which was established at the end of 2016, develops, tests, promotes communications solutions, supports their standardization, and accelerates the commercial availability of relevant products and solutions. Its goal is to address the desire for connected mobility and safety concepts with applications such as connected autonomous driving and complete access to services. As a 5GAA member, Molex supports technical working groups and GNSS development, and high-speed wireless technology to meet the future need for 5G technologies.5G integration will make the Connected Car part of the IoT ecosystem. Cars will then communicate with each other - this is also possible using LTE-based modules - and other vehicles, such as bicycles, or even with infrastructures such as parking systems. This will increase road safety and pave the way for autonomous driving.<h2 dir="ltr">Security in the Connected Car</h2>Security testing will be of particular importance in the battle against cybercrime. In particular, penetration tests reveal security gaps, where a tester deliberately tries to penetrate the system with the means and methods used by hackers. The results ascertain the current security strength, which engineers then use as the basis for countermeasures to eliminate critical weaknesses.Organization and development processes also need to be adapted to new circumstances. For example, end-to-end risk analyses have not traditionally been the rule but should be one of the absolute requirements manufacturers ask of their suppliers. Such a study investigates potential attacks on all the chain components, their effects on data security, and, ultimately, functional safety. Engineers can use the results to define suitable protective measures. The procedure&#39;s success depends upon the cooperation, from early-stage development, of the OEM, the back-end solution supplier, and the control unit manufacturers.<h2 dir="ltr">Road Safety Enabler</h2>5G not only offers new commercial possibilities for the automotive industry. The new mobile standard and the innovations it produces will also improve road safety. With 5G, road operators could conceivably use connected vehicle data to ensure traffic ﬂows and avoid crowded environments that could lead to accidents. Additionally, crucial alerts such as left-turn assistance will support the driver in challenging situations. The new 5G-based infrastructure will create a less stressful driving experience. For example, traffic-light-optimized speed-advisory systems will regulate traffic from intersection to intersection. Likewise, self-driving vehicles could use privileged lanes and thus enable convenient driving and mobility. With 5G, the ambitious vision of zero-accident vehicles seems to be within reach.<h1 dir="ltr">5G Vehicle Communication Systems Manufacturer</h1>Molex is a global leader in radio frequency (RF) technology - development and production to life-long system support. Molex is currently the only Tier-1 vendor that can unite expertise in wireless and wired vehicle communication solutions, offering the automotive industry a complete end-to-end system, from the cloud to the sensors and back. Enhanced mobile broadband is crucial for Molex: 5G will use FR2, the extended mmWaves frequency bands, which are ten times broader than the LTE band. This is vital to the development of Telematics Antenna Fusion systems, which Molex is steadily driving forward.This article was originally published by Mouser and Molex in an&nbsp;<a href="https://molex.mouser.com/automotive/molexmouser-transportation-5-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">e-magazine</a>&nbsp;and substantially edited by the Wevolver team. It&#39;s the first article of a 5-part series exploring connectivity solutions for the future of transportation.&nbsp;&nbsp;The second article <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/high-speed-data-and-connected-cars" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">discussed connected transport and automotive ethernet.&nbsp;</a>The third article&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/connected-car-trend-creates-modularity-challenges" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">introduces the modularity challenges of Connected Cars.</a>The fourth article&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/microminiature-components-are-revolutionizing-the-connected-vehicle-industry" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stressed the importance of regulations and infrastructure changes in order for connected cars to realize their potential.</a>The fifth article&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/small-and-speedy-connectivity-solutions-enable-adas-and-increase-vehicle-safety" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">looked at connectivity requirements for ADAS.</a><h2 dir="ltr">About the sponsor</h2><a href="https://eu.mouser.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mouser Electronics</a>&nbsp;is a worldwide leading authorized distributor of semiconductors and electronic components for over 1,100 manufacturer brands. They specialize in the rapid introduction of new products and technologies for design engineers and buyers. Their extensive product offering includes semiconductors, interconnects, passives, and electromechanical components.&nbsp; <img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjIwMjMxNTA2Mjc4LW1vdXNlciBsb2dvIGJhbm5lci5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> Sources and further reading:Ericsson Mobility Report 2019 <a data-lf-fd-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" href="https://www.ericsson.com/4acd7e/assets/local/mobility-report/documents/2019/emr-november-2019.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.ericsson.com/4acd7e/assets/local/mobility-report/documents/2019/emr-november-2019.pdf</a>5G Standardization : <a href="https://www.ericsson.com/en/future-technologies/standardization/5g-standardization" target="_blank">https://www.ericsson.com/en/future-technologies/standardization/5g-standardization</a>3GPP Release 17 timeline confirmed: <a href="https://www.3gpp.org/news-events/2145-rel-17_newtimeline" target="_blank">https://www.3gpp.org/news-events/2145-rel-17_newtimeline</a>

Article #1 of our Connected Transport Series. How The New 5G Mobile Standard Takes Connected Driving Another Step Closer to Reality.

5G Network brings Connected Cars closer

This is the second in an eight-part series exploring 5G. The series will explain key terms and technologies and provide an overview of current and future applications for 5G connectivity.The articles were originally published in an e-magazine, and have been substantially edited by Wevolver to update them and make them available on the Wevolver platform. This series is sponsored by Mouser, an online distributor of electronic components. Through their sponsorship,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/mouser.electronics" target="_blank">Mouser Electronics</a>&nbsp;supports a more connected future fuelled by knowledge and innovation.&nbsp;<h2>Introduction</h2>The 5G mobile communications standard is designed to fulfill several performance and use case requirements currently not possible in 4G networks, including:<ul><li>Enhanced broadband that brings fiber-optic speeds and bandwidth to over-the-air (OTA) connections</li><li>Low latencies and extreme reliability for realtime OTA process control</li><li>Much higher device densities that will enable the massive Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity that is anticipated in smart cities</li><li>More energy efficiency to meet the increasing demand for low-power connectivity</li><li>High-speed adaptability for high-speed mobile applications</li><li>On-demand network scalability to meet the requirements of many industrial use cases</li></ul>Specifications outlined in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™) Release 15 provide details for 5G New Radio (NR), which addresses the 5G air interface, and 5G Core, which deals with network functions. Both 5G NR and 5G Core are required to meet 5G performance expectations. This article looks at how 5G differs from 4G with respect to its performance, radio access technology, and network core functions. It further reviews how 5G specifications make new applications possible and how the 5G standard impacts component designs.<h2>How Does 5G Differ from 4G?</h2><img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA0MzQ3MzU5ODIyLUlsbHVzdHJhdGlvbiAwMy0wMSBlZGl0ZWQuanBnIiwgImVkaXRzIjogeyJyZXNpemUiOiB7IndpZHRoIjogOTUwLCAiZml0IjogImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;">Meeting 5G’s performance expectations requires additional spectrum as well as different waveforms and a flexible framework that allows service multiplexing and more dynamic multiple access capabilities. 5G meets these requirements through a new approach to scalable waveforms that works across a range of frequencies, creating an entirely new approach to session and network management.<h3>5G NR Increases Flexibility and Reduces Overhead</h3>5G NR applies a common waveform framework that scales across a range of bandwidths. Several techniques contribute to 5G’s spectrum efficiency, flexibility, and reduced power consumption. Key differences between 5G NR and 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) include:<ul><li>Scalable orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (ODFM) numerology. ODFM is a widely used waveform for encoding digital communications. Its waveform numerology defines the structure and timing of information resources that the waveform carries, such as the number of subcarriers and the subcarrier spacing. Both 4G LTE and 5G NR use ODFM, but there are big differences. In 4G LTE, the numerology is always fixed; in 5G NR, the numerology is scalable for optimization in different bandwidths. This means that the subcarrier size and spacing are scalable to fit bandwidths that different frequencies provide. It also enables scalable TTI, which makes it possible to adjust latencies from very low for short-duration transmissions to longer latencies that make transmitting large data packets more efficient. Scalable ODFM numerology is the heart of 5G’s scalability and flexibility.</li><li>Self-contained subframes. Introduced in the 5G NR specification, these structures enable the inclusion of data along with their transmission acknowledgments in the same subframe, further reducing latencies. They also enable the multiplexing of different kinds of subframes, and they support blank subframes to accommodate undefined future services. Self-contained subframes can also contain beamforming data specific to a transmission, which supports multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antenna transmissions and reduces interference.</li><li>Device-centric mobility. In LTE networks, receiving devices measure reference signals that base stations transmit to decide where to connect. Base stations transmit reference signals continuously, regardless of the presence of a receiving device—which requires processing overhead on the receiving device and excess power consumption by the transmitting equipment. In 5G transmissions, receiving devices transmit a reference signal when they need a network connection, and this reference signal triggers communication and handoff activities using appropriate transmitting equipment. This arrangement reduces power consumption and the number of reference signal broadcasts.</li><li>New cell architectures and antenna designs. To support larger numbers of connected devices, uninterrupted communications, and shorter operational ranges available from high-frequency bands, 5G will require denser cell architectures than are found in 4G LTE networks. Typical deployments could include a mix of macro-cells operating in low frequencies for wide outdoor coverage, small cells operating indoors and outdoors in mid-frequency ranges, and micro-cells (room sized) operating primarily indoors at millimeter wavelength frequencies. Beamforming techniques using massive MIMO (mMIMO) antenna arrays will provide uninterrupted coverage and much higher transmission efficiencies than 4G LTE produces with previous MIMO variations. 5G antenna designs will also produce more signal processing at the antennas to manage mobile device handoffs between cells.</li></ul><img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiAid2V2b2x2ZXItcHJvamVjdC1pbWFnZXMiLCAia2V5IjogImZyb2FsYS8xNjA0MzQ3NTYwMDQxLTUtMDEgKDEpLmpwZyIsICJlZGl0cyI6IHsicmVzaXplIjogeyJ3aWR0aCI6IDk1MCwgImZpdCI6ICJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 788px;"><h3>5G Core Virtualizes 4G Evolved Packet Core Network Architecture</h3>To meet <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/a-forward-glance-at-5g-applying-backwards-thinking" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">5G performance specifications</a>, especially as they relate to use case flexibility, scalability, and reliability, the 5G Core network has been redesigned from the ground up in a way that completely supplants the 4G Evolved Packet Core (EPC). Whereas 4G EPC relied on physical network elements, 5G Core is a cloud-native virtualized architecture that uses multi-access edge computing to deliver network functions as services to a network’s edge. Key features and capabilities of the 5G Core architecture include:<ul><li>Separate control plane and user plane functions. This separation and reallocation of functions previously performed by EPC service and packet gateways enable a redistribution of packet processing functions to a network’s edge. The result is better traffic management and scalability.</li><li>Redesign of session management functions. Mobility management and session management are now performed by different network elements, and new identity and authentication functions have been added. All this improves session management to deliver uninterrupted service in various operational scenarios—for example, as user equipment is moving through a small cell network or at high speeds. These session management enhancements create a reliable service flow in complex environments that contain dense IoT arrays and user equipment with diverse data formats.</li><li>Network slicing. This technology enables 5G to offer a “slice” of the network as a dedicated service for a particular use case, customer, or industry. User equipment can simultaneously access multiple network slices. A network slice maintains all necessary functionality and quality across domains and technologies to efficiently allocate available resources for each use case.</li></ul><img class="fr-fic fr-dib" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjA0MzQ4NDg4ODcxLTYtMDEgKDEpIGVkaXRlZC5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;"><h3>New Applications and Business Cases Possible with 5G</h3>The 5G standard enables a range of simultaneous communications that are highly reliable and optimized for use case performance and power consumption. This standard opens the door to a host of new smart services and partnerships that could not previously be accommodated on monolithic 4G networks.Recommended reading:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/5g-infrastructure-enables-new-and-radical-applications" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">5G Infrastructure Enables New and Radical Applications</a><h2>Use Case Possibilities: Life in a 5G World</h2>To illustrate some of the possibilities in a 5G world, consider a simple example of an architect’s commute to work one morning in her autonomous vehicle (AV). It happens that she has scheduled a conference call to take place during her commute because this was the only time her clients in Spain and her supplier in Singapore could meet.Seamless Communications The architect can carry on with her meeting as her AV navigates itself to her office. It does this by using a 5G vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications platform for low-latency communications. The AV’s communications platform is cloud-based and interacts with other vehicles and traffic control infrastructures, using data from sensor inputs for real-time situational awareness and navigational updates.While the AV drives, the architect reviews her project plans, then puts on her headset to enter a virtual three-dimensional (3D) conference call that uses a 5G broadband full-duplex connection. During the meeting, the AV enters a tunnel on the route to work. There is no interruption in the meeting or the vehicle’s control systems because the tunnel is lined with small cell mMIMO antennas, which maintain a continuous contact for all communications while the vehicle is moving underground. Soon after the AV enters the tunnel, its calculated arrival time triggers a signal that turns on a coffee machine in the architect’s office.<h1>Tasks Accomplished</h1>Despite all the activity, the meeting goes as planned. The AV arrives at its destination, locates an available parking space, parks itself, engages the electric-charging equipment, and verifies the payment account information. Thereafter, the architect walks into her office, pours a cup of hot coffee, and updates her project plans based on information her supplier in Singapore provides.This example shows how 5G technology’s ubiquitous real-time command, control, and communications capabilities will reshape the way process control and workflows operate. It will also open the door to entirely new models. Fully entering this world, however, will still require a lot of engineering work.<h1>Engineering Challenges for 5G Components</h1>5G performance requirements combined with 5G network and device architectures are placing new demands on component design. Many design constraints are interdependent. They include:<ul><li>Processing power and throughput. Many aspects of 5G technology require more processing power, including scalable waveforms, higher data throughput, smaller cells that require complex session and handoff management, beamforming, network slicing, and higher connected device densities. More processing power requires more robust software, which in turn consumes power and generates heat.</li><li>Power consumption. Although 5G devices are expected to use power more efficiently, they will also do more work. Early base stations with MIMO antennas and prototype 5G phones will consume two to three times more power than their 4G counterparts.</li><li>Heat. More power consumption means more heat generation, which requires more heat dissipation to avoid damaging components.</li><li>Component complexity. 5G components are more complex, with more filters and amplifiers to operate at more frequencies and with more complex waveforms. This complexity introduces risks of creating larger components when space is already at a premium, especially in user equipment.</li><li>Component density and compact designs. Packing more complex components into more compact designs increases component density, which makes heat dissipation more difficult.</li></ul>These challenges can have a cascading effect of design constraints. For example, in a device like a mobile phone, if components take up more room, there is less room for a battery, so the battery must be smaller. But, if the device needs more power, smaller batteries mean less available power, which in turn means a shorter service time between charges. Many of these heat, power consumption, and component size challenges are being addressed through new techniques and materials—for example, through:<ul><li>Transceivers that employ new phase-shifting techniques—which allow more accurate beam steering, tighter beam resolution, near-zero gain variations across a large MIMO antenna array, higher data rates, and package size reductions through components that share circuit elements—eliminating the need for switches,</li><li>More efficient high-frequency power amplifiers that use gallium nitride (GaN) transistors and a variety of techniques for reducing nonlinearization when operating at less than full power, and</li><li>New techniques for developing reconfigurable and tunable wideband filters that are compact and cost-effective.</li></ul><h2>Conclusion</h2>5G communications are here, and initial deployments have already begun, but clearly a lot of engineering work remains to be done before 5G technology can deliver all the possibilities that its specification implies. Initial deployments focusing on FR1 (&lt;6GHz) will be the proving ground for new 5G systems and components going forward.This article was originally written by&nbsp;Mustafa Ergen for Mouser and substantially edited by the Wevolver team. It's the first article of a series exploring 5G. Future articles will explore how 5G differs from existing technology and how the potential of hyper-connectivity will be applied in entertainment, smart cities, and industry and how to get there.&nbsp;Article One gives <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/a-forward-glance-at-5g-applying-backwards-thinking" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an overview of 5G.&nbsp;</a>Article Three&nbsp;discusses&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/where-does-5g-fit-in-the-connectivity-ecosystem" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">how systems engineers can evaluate the viability of 5G in the existing connectivity ecosystem.</a>Article Four <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/understanding-the-3gpp-release-15-5g-standard" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">examines the relevant standards associated with 5G.</a>Article Five&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/5g-infrastructure-enables-new-and-radical-applications" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">showcases the radical applications 5G will enable.</a>Article Six <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/ecosystems-of-5g-engineering-infrastructure" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">looks at the ecosystems of 5G infrastructure.</a>Article Seven&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/5g-antenna-design" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dives into 5G Antenna Designs.</a><hr><h1>About the sponsor: Mouser Electronics</h1>Mouser Electronics is a worldwide leading authorized distributor of semiconductors and electronic components for over 800 industry-leading manufacturers. They specialize in the rapid introduction of new products and technologies for design engineers and buyers. Their extensive product offering includes semiconductors, interconnects, passives, and electromechanical components.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjA0MzQ4NTgwOTg1LW1vdXNlciBsb2dvIGZvb3Rlci5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

5G

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