Microwave Journal has released an all new mmWave RF Components Guide. This eBook is a collection of seven articles and white papers written to help you make the best component selections when designing your 5G products, several written by engineering experts here at Knowles. Here’s an overview of what’s included in the eBook.

As radio architectures evolve, the need for filters is also evolving. At the same time, the industry is working to miniaturizes mmWave devices while continually minimizing costs. This means RF designers need filter solutions that offer a smaller footprint while keeping prices manageable.

Planning is in the works for Fifth Generation (5G) communication systems that will enable a hundred-fold increase in user data-rates – and with this increase comes a need for significant increases in bandwidth over what is currently available. Why does bandwidth follow when we ask for an increase in data rates? 

Before small cell technology took its place as a central component to realizing the promise of 5G networks, it played an important role in helping to improve the coverage and capacity of 4G. These mini base stations could be installed in discrete locations like on buildings or streetlights and became part of heterogeneous networks—together with traditional macro base stations—to improve service in high-traffic locations such as sporting events and concert venues. In this pursuit, small cells have proven valuable for extending signal penetration and increasing wireless density and these small, lightweight devices will continue to be a key technology for the data-intensive transition to 5G. 

As 5G innovation forges on, radio systems continue to emerge. Each system has a range of requirements, including specific RF filter performance needs, and it’s up to the 5G FR2 Ecosystem of suppliers to meet that demand. In response, Knowles Precision Devices (KPD) supports a wide variety of 5G radio applications.

Over time, the telephone replaced the telegraph, and now cellular and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technology are replacing the landline. However, as more communication is done wirelessly and over the Internet, we are becoming more interested in increased bandwidth. This is because bandwidth places a limit on how quickly we can send information through a channel such as an optical fiber or a section of the radio spectrum.

On Thursday, April 16 at 11am EDT Knowles Precision Devices and Microwave Journal will host a live Webinar about the practicalities of building a 28 GHz small cell for 5G applications.

At Knowles Precision Devices, we support a wide variety of industries and applications with unique needs; the product catalog is constantly evolving to accommodate. We are often asked which frequencies we support. While our microwave products excel at higher frequencies, the catalog spans a wide range.

Around the world, 2019 was a busy year for 5G, with standards being finalized, large networks beginning 5G operations, and mobile device manufacturers releasing 5G-capable phones. Just one year after the official launch of 5G on November 1, 2018, the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) identified the launch of 50 commercial 5G networks along with 328 operators in 109 countries that announced investment in 5G. Let’s look at some of the big moments for 5G from 2019.  

As the year comes to a close, it's the season to take some time to relax and reflect on the year. You’ve likely read many of our blog posts this year and you may have missed a few – it's been a busy year! Never fear, we've rounded up our most popular blog posts from 2019. We hope that they'll bring you some holiday cheer, or at least provide some ideas and insights to use for a successful 2020.