Analog Devices Launches 5G 'beams To Bits' Chipset

Mmwave solution combines a beamformer IC, up/down frequency conversion and mixed signal circuitry

Analog Devices has introduced a new solution for millimetre wave (mmWave) 5G with what is claimed to be highest available level of integration to reduce design requirements and complexity in the next generation of cellular network infrastructure.

The solution combines ADI's advanced beamformer IC, up/down frequency conversion (UDC), and additional mixed signal circuitry. This optimised 'Beams to Bits' signal chain represents a unique set of capabilities only available from ADI.

“Millimetre-wave 5G is an emerging technology with great potential,” said Karim Hamed, general manager of Microwave Communications at Analog Devices. “It can be extremely difficult to design these systems from the ground up, balancing system-level challenges in performance, standards, and cost. This new solution leverages ADI's best-in-class technology, long legacy in RF, microwave and mmWave communications infrastructure, and deep expertise across the RF spectrum to simplify the design process for customers, reduce overall component count, and accelerate the path to 5G deployment.”

The new mmWave 5G chipset includes the 16-channel ADMV4821 dual/single polarisation beamformer IC, 16-channel ADMV4801 single-polarisation beamformer IC and the ADMV1017 mmWave UDC. The 24- to 30-GHz beamforming + UDC solution forms a 3GPP 5G NR compliant mmWave front-end to address the n261, n257 and n258 bands.

The high channel density, coupled with the ability to support both single- and dual-polarisation deployments, greatly increases system flexibility and reconfigurability for multiple 5G use cases while best-in-class equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) extends radio range and density.