New design validation techniques accelerate time to market for commercial 5G NR active array antennas

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — February 20, 2018 — Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), a leading technology company that helps enterprises, service providers, and governments accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced today a collaboration with Ball Aerospace and Anokiwave to validate the first commercial 5G NR active array antenna product designs in the 26 GHz band. The Keysight 5G NR-ready measurement testbed offers the precision that base station and component designers require to extensively explore the performance edges of a new class of active antenna systems in the “European Pioneer Band.”

The use of phased arrays at mmWave frequencies requires over-the-air (OTA) testing as well as spatial beam measurements. Keysight metrology-grade test equipment offers the sensitivity that base station designers need to overcome these challenges and to go beyond simple RF parametric performance. New spatial measurement requirements include sidelobe levels, dynamic beam characteristics, and spatial variations of EVM and ACPR.

As the first mmWave testbed with 5G-ready source and analyzer inside a PXI chassis, the Keysight solution is scalable across the product lifecycle, from research and development through manufacturing, using modular hardware and software. The 5G NR-ready testbed enables multi-format testing in a single chassis for space-efficient and flexible design validation, even at mmWave.

“As our network equipment manufacturing customers are racing to be first to market, they expect to acquire velocity through their development cycle by leveraging their test solutions at each stage, from R&D to design verification to manufacturing,” said Giampaolo Tardioli, vice president of the Network Infrastructure Unit, Keysight Technologies. “Keysight modular hardware and software solutions seamlessly combine metrology-grade mmWave hardware and format-specific software measurements. These customers can now scale from today’s 4G evolved designs (under 6 GHz) into the new mmWave bands, and accelerate a faster transition into production, with minimum cost.”

The Ball Aerospace-built 256-element array uses Anokiwave integrated circuits, and was designed to deliver 5G modulation in GHz-wide bandwidths in either a single-beam mode or in MIMO applications for up to 4 concurrent beams with up to +60 dBm EIRP.

“Keysight has enabled us to validate the breakthrough data throughput performance of our Ball-built arrays at 26 GHz and gain visibility into our performance edges, using standard-compliant 5G NR waveforms and processing,” stated Bob Donahue, chief executive officer, Anokiwave.

Visit Keysight at Mobile World Congress 2018, stand 6G30, Hall 6, to see a demonstration of the 5G Testbed for Design Validation making over-the-air (OTA) measurements of the new Ball Aerospace phased array antennas for 26 GHz and 28 GHz.

Additional Information

Ball Aerospace pioneers discoveries that enable our customers to perform beyond expectation and protect what matters most. We create innovative space solutions, enable more accurate weather forecasts, drive insightful observations of our planet, deliver actionable data and intelligence, and ensure those who defend our freedom go forward bravely and return home safely. For more information, visit www.ball.com/aerospace or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Anokiwave is a cutting edge provider of highly integrated IC solutions that enable emerging mm-Wave markets and Active Antenna based solutions. Anokiwave’s creative system architectures and optimal selection of semiconductor technologies solve the toughest engineering problems. Anokiwave is based in San Diego, CA and operates design centers in Phoenix, AZ and Boston, MA. Additional information can be found at http://www.anokiwave.com.

A Keysight 5G NR-ready measurement testbed video demo is available at: YouTube. Images are available at: www.keysight.com/find/5GNR-images

Visit Keysight at Mobile World Congress 2018, stand 6G30, Hall 6, to see a demonstration of the 5G Testbed for Design Validation making over-the-air (OTA) measurements of the new Ball Aerospace phased array antennas for 26 GHz and 28 GHz.

About Keysight in 5G

The development of 5G depends on up-to-date tools that let designers easily explore new signals, scenarios and topologies. Keysight’s 5G solutions are ready to enable deeper insights as development evolves with the standard. In design and test, Keysight is helping industry leaders innovate across new and existing technologies as they transform ideas into reality. Additional information about Keysight's 5G design, test and measurement solutions is available at www.keysight.com/find/5G.

About Keysight Technologies

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) is a leading technology company that helps enterprises, service providers, and governments accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Keysight's solutions optimize networks and bring electronic products to market faster and at a lower cost with offerings from design simulation, to prototype validation, to manufacturing test, to optimization in networks and cloud environments. Customers span the worldwide communications ecosystem, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor and general electronics end markets. Keysight generated revenues of $3.2B in fiscal year 2017. In April 2017, Keysight acquired Ixia, a leader in network test, visibility, and security. More information is available at www.keysight.com .