Ericsson and IBM have announced a collaboration to jointly research phased-array antenna designs for 5G, allowing networks to provide customers with data speeds orders of magnitude faster than what is currently available. Under the partnership, Ericsson and IBM will research phased-array antenna techniques to develop prototype systems that will serve more mobile users, enable a range of new services on the same frequency, as well as offer data speeds that are competitive to existing cable and wired internet access speeds.
The phased-array design allows for more directional antennas that are electrically-steerable and will have significant weight and flexibility advantages over existing mechanical antennas. The outcome of these technological advances will integrate on the order of a hundred antennas and radios on a single chip smaller than a credit card in size, facilitating the use of these technologies for high-capacity small cells in indoor spaces and dense downtown areas.
