CommScope has developed a 5G radio / antenna solution targeting fixed wireless plans of major telecom operators.

The new 5G radio / antenna solution supports millimeter-wave spectrum and works on a virtualized baseband with an open interface, CommScope said. The 5G antenna will be ready for trials for telecom engineers during the second half of 2018.

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This 5G antenna solution integrates a beamforming active antenna array operating at 28 GHz. Engineers can expect that it will be available for trial with a third-party baseband platform to create a high performance and flexible 5G access network.

CommScope said it’s joining the fixed wireless access market with the launch of the antenna solution based on xRAN open interface specifications. The open interface allows wireless operators to mix and match radio access network (RAN) hardware from multiple vendors to more flexibly address varying requirements.

Fixed wireless market is gaining momentum because several telecom operators such as AT&T, Verizon, among others are launching their initial 5G services on fixed wireless networks this year.

“Our integrated antenna will enable the capabilities of 5G millimeter-wave spectrum bands while offering maximum flexibility in an evolving air-interface environment,” said Farid Firouzbakht, senior vice president, RF Products, CommScope.

CommScope’s new solution enables wireless operators to use commercial servers to trial virtualized network functions for fixed wireless access applications.

CommScope has a testing facility for developing 5G related millimeter antenna technology. The testing facility, located near Dallas, Texas, conducts automated millimeter wave beamforming calibration and trials of 5G massive MIMO systems.

CommScope said it also is offering new antenna models that support 4xMIMO, advanced modulation and carrier aggregation of unlicensed frequency bands. The combination of multiple data streams and additional spectrum will help wireless operators reach Gigabit LTE speeds on the road to 5G.