Make Your Concept a Reality With mmWave
Publish Date: Sep 22, 2014
Wireless consumers’ insatiable demand for bandwidth has spurred unprecedented levels of public and private sector investmen
increase network capacity. This demand is also driving wireless researchers to develop new ways to address capacity challeng
and even explore new network topologies. Researchers not only have to address capacity concerns, but offer new features and
functions never before thought possible. NI is providing tools and technologies for prototyping and defining this new frontier for
wireless communications. NI’s hardware and software platform enables researchers to innovate faster by providing a path from
theoretical research to rapid prototyping.
To transition from concept to reality, researchers must prototype with real signals and waveforms. A rapidly expanding prototyp
solution, known as millimeter wave (mmWave) or extremely high frequency (EHF), is the highest radio frequency band in practi
use today. EHF includes frequencies from 30 GHz to 300 GHz. It is because this band has a wavelength of between 1 mm and
mm that it has given rise to the name “millimeter band” or “millimeter wave.”
Using these bands for cellular communication poses some unique challenges. In addition to high path loss, some of these band
can suffer propagation loss due to water vapor and oxygen absorption. However, researchers have recently discovered in chan
measurement campaigns conducted in dense urban environments that the necessary link budget for cellular systems can be
achieved using a combination of steerable antenna beams and new network topologies. Advancements in prototyping and
availability of cost-effective CMOS technology have strengthened the viability of mmWave 5G cellular systems. In the coming
years, there will be a significant amount of research to support going from theory to practical and commercially-viable mmWave
cellular networks.
The following image shows a PXI Express platform based on LabVIEW that has been configured to perform all the signal
processing, synchronization, control functionality, and I/O necessary to implement the wireless protocols required to meet the m
gigabits per second required for fifth-generation (5G) cellular systems. LabVIEW provides an integrated system design
environment that enables researchers to focus on their specific areas of exploration while abstracting the other necessary
components of the system. Synchronization, timing, data, and control flow across modules are essential parts of such a system
and are integrated components of the NI hardware/software platforms. When configured appropriately, the modular nature of th
platforms provides the flexibility needed to achieve the 10 gigabits per second, per user target data rate for 5G cellular access
technology, and orders of magnitude higher for mmWave backhaul needs.
miWaves (http://www.miwaves.eu/), a large-scale European project researching wireless communications uses a setup similar
the one shown here.
As user network demands, requirements to accelerate time from prototype to real-world usage, and condensed time to
market/solution needs increase exponentially, researchers must adopt the right tools for the right tasks. The right tools are high
integrated software and hardware solutions.
For more information on NI’s 5G initiatives, visit ni.com/5g (http://www.ni.com/5g/).
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