Avnet Collaborates with Fujikura to Accelerate Customer 5G mmWave Phased Array System Development

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Avnet, Inc., a leading global technology solutions provider, is working with Fujikura to develop a leading edge 5G FR2 phased array antenna development platform for mmWave frequency bands. This platform enables customers to quickly develop and prototype advanced 5G mmWave systems using AMD-Xilinx’s Zynq® UltraScale+™ RFSoC Gen3 and Fujikura’s FutureAccess™ Phased Array Antenna Module (PAAM), controlled by Avnet’s proven RFSoC Explorer® software. This combination of leading-edge components and software will allow customers to quickly prototype with Fujikura’s compact PAAM and AMD-Xilinx’s RFSoC.

“We’re seeing an acceleration of the 5G market as higher bandwidth applications are driving the need for mmWave technology, especially in the industrial and telecom segments,” said Jim Beneke, vice president of Products and Emerging Technologies, Avnet. “Through our work with Fujikura, AMD-Xilinx and Mathworks, we’re bringing together the key building blocks of mmWave radio solutions allowing designers to quickly prototype communications algorithms, reduce engineering time, and get into the 5G market even faster.”

For those seeking to develop and prototype their advanced 5G mmWave systems using AMD-Xilinx’s RFSoC Gen3 and Fujikura’s 5G PAAM, the addition of Avnet’s easy to use RFSoC Explorer MATLAB application (which can be extended to control the entire system from antenna to digital) will enable them to implement and test mmWave beamforming applications quickly without HDL or software coding.

The Fujikura PAAM operates in the 3GPP FR2 frequency bands n257 (28 GHz), n258 (26 GHz), and n261 (27 GHZ) allowing for use in both indoor and outdoor applications.  It is a complete PAAM module with a highly integrated 8x8 antenna element, RF ICs, filter, and optimal TCO. This high level of integration enables compact product design and quick time to market. With high-power efficiency and extremely fast beam switching (<200ns), Fujikura PAAM based systems can obtain industry leading performance. Also, with a calibration free architecture and Fujikura’s extreme attention to quality, end customers will have a major advantage in system integration, manufacturing, deployment, and longevity. 

“We are committed to the 5G mmWave technologies, which substantially expands 5G value proposition with applications in Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), Mobile Broadband, High Density Indoor Coverage in venues such as stadiums and shopping malls, etc.” said Kenji Nishide, head of Electronic Technologies R&D Center at Fujikura. “We are excited to partner with Avnet, a global leader in technology distribution, and bring Fujikura’s innovative PAAM solutions to a worldwide customer base via this collaboration.”