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What Makes 5G So Fast? mmWaves, MIMO, Beamforming, and More

What Makes 5G So Fast? mmWaves, MIMO, Beamforming, and More

With 5G rolling out more quickly as we approach 2021, it may be helpful to touch on the key technologies that make 5G such a speedy success.


News Dec 02, 2020 by John Koon
Xilinx, TI, and Skyworks Tackle PA Efficiency Problems in 5G Small Cell Radios

Xilinx, TI, and Skyworks Tackle PA Efficiency Problems in 5G Small Cell Radios

As modulation scheme efficiency goes up, power amplifier efficiency goes down. Xilinx, TI, and Skyworks are bringing their expertise to the table to reconcile the trade-off.


News Nov 18, 2020 by Adrian Gibbons
Altimeter Technology—Pressure, Radar, and Optical—Rises to Great Heights

Altimeter Technology—Pressure, Radar, and Optical—Rises to Great Heights

Altimeters have taken off since the 1920s. Now, with piezoresistive ICs and LiDAR-like technology, they're more advanced than ever.


News Oct 30, 2020 by Tyler Charboneau
Xilinx Brings FPGA DNA to a Custom Hybrid System-on-Chip for 5G Radio Units

Xilinx Brings FPGA DNA to a Custom Hybrid System-on-Chip for 5G Radio Units

Xilinx solutions are surfacing for each new wave in the 5G rollout. Appearing in 2021, the new RFSoC DFE is forecasted to break all existing benchmarks.


News Oct 27, 2020 by Adrian Gibbons
Semtech Builds Out LoRa Edge Platform for More Precise Tracking and Transport Analytics

Semtech Builds Out LoRa Edge Platform for More Precise Tracking and Transport Analytics

Semtech is turning to embedded software and a new hardware reference design to sharpen asset tracking IoT solutions.


News Oct 20, 2020 by Adrian Gibbons
Double the Protocols, Cut the Board Space: How Multi-Protocol SoCs are Simplifying IoT Design

Double the Protocols, Cut the Board Space: How Multi-Protocol SoCs are Simplifying IoT Design

Silicon Labs and STRATIS announced a collaboration to connect smart apartment complexes. What tech underlies this news?


News Sep 29, 2020 by Jake Hertz
Intel and Analog Devices Link Up to Streamline 5G Network Design

Intel and Analog Devices Link Up to Streamline 5G Network Design

The two RF powerhouses have teamed up to create a flexible radio platform that addresses 5G network design challenges.


News Aug 05, 2020 by Jake Hertz
RAIN Alliance Extends Its Reach for Universal UHF RFID Adoption

RAIN Alliance Extends Its Reach for Universal UHF RFID Adoption

Like Bluetooth SIG and the Wi-Fi Alliance, the RAIN Alliance is pushing for global adoption of ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID technology.


News Jun 14, 2020 by Tyler Charboneau
Wi-Fi Is a Power Guzzler. New Multi-Protocol Modules May Change the Game of Battery-Based IoT

Wi-Fi Is a Power Guzzler. New Multi-Protocol Modules May Change the Game of Battery-Based IoT

Wi-Fi's high power consumption represents a serious challenge to battery-powered IoT products. But this may no longer be a problem with the digitally-dominant advanced radio architecture of two new modules from Innophase.


News Jun 09, 2020 by Dr. Steve Arar
An Electronic “Security Bubble” Protects Wearers from COVID-19

An Electronic “Security Bubble” Protects Wearers from COVID-19

Insight SiP’s miniature electronic "Security Bubble COVID-19" lets you know when you’re getting too close to others.


News Jun 08, 2020 by Gary Elinoff
The Pitfalls of Contact Tracing are Addressed in New Wireless Ranging Tech and a BLE Chip

The Pitfalls of Contact Tracing are Addressed in New Wireless Ranging Tech and a BLE Chip

Radio Signal Strength Indicators, a common method of contact tracing, often yield inaccurate positioning results. Dialog Semiconductor says they have a better solution.


News May 19, 2020 by Robin Mitchell
As Suppliers Hunker Down on IoT, Multi-Protocol Chips May Spike

As Suppliers Hunker Down on IoT, Multi-Protocol Chips May Spike

Suppliers are producing more multi-protocol chips to meet the power and connectivity demands of IoT. Can we expect to see more tech like NXP's multiprotocol mesh networking MCUs in the future?


News May 08, 2020 by Gary Elinoff
Governments and Tech Giants Face-Off on Contact Tracing: Centralized or Decentralized Data Storage?

Governments and Tech Giants Face-Off on Contact Tracing: Centralized or Decentralized Data Storage?

Contact tracing is the next big proposal for quelling COVID-19. While some governments are proposing their own apps and centralized data storage, Apple and Google are offering a decentralized "opt-in" approach. What's your take?


News May 02, 2020 by Robin Mitchell
A Brief Guide to Bluetooth Low Energy IPs on the Market

A Brief Guide to Bluetooth Low Energy IPs on the Market

Keep this guide in your back pocket for the next time you're designing a device that requires BLE connectivity.


News Mar 05, 2020 by Robin Mitchell
u-blox’s New Multi-Radio Modules Aim to Bring Wi-Fi 6 to the Road

u-blox’s New Multi-Radio Modules Aim to Bring Wi-Fi 6 to the Road

The JODY-W3 series of multi-radio modules features 2 x 2 MIMO and dual-mode Bluetooth 5.1.


News Feb 24, 2020 by Gary Elinoff
Mitsubishi Electric Aims to Improve In-flight Connectivity With Electronically-steered Array Antenna and RF IC

Mitsubishi Electric Aims to Improve In-flight Connectivity With Electronically-steered Array Antenna and RF IC

Mitsubishi Electric has announced an RF IC and a new electronically steered radio antenna that will deliver high-speed in-flight satellite connectivity.


News Feb 17, 2020 by Robin Mitchell
CEVA Debuts Integrated Hardware and Software Platform for Contextually-aware IoT Devices

CEVA Debuts Integrated Hardware and Software Platform for Contextually-aware IoT Devices

SenslinQ combines integrated software with sensors, Arm- or RISC-V-based MCUs, Ceva's DSP units, and other connected technologies for contextually-aware IoT devices.


News Jan 09, 2020 by Tyler Charboneau
ST Announces “First LoRa SoC,” Including Advanced Semtech Radio

ST Announces “First LoRa SoC,” Including Advanced Semtech Radio

The new SoC expedites the design of smart devices with LoRa and other types of LPWAN IoT connectivity.


News Jan 08, 2020 by Gary Elinoff
Kumu Networks Reveals First Analog Finite Impulse Response Filter on a Chip

Kumu Networks Reveals First Analog Finite Impulse Response Filter on a Chip

The KU1500 is designed to allow radios to send and receive signals at the same time on the same or adjacent channels.


News Dec 31, 2019 by Gary Elinoff
Assessing the ADC SNR and SFDR for Communications Systems

Assessing the ADC SNR and SFDR for Communications Systems

In this article, we will see how we can determine the SFDR for an ADC used in a radio receiver. Also, we’ll examine the ADC SNR requirement for this application.