Swindon, UK. AceAxis has announced the launch of a millimeter-wave test system, initially targeted at 28 GHz, for characterizing the RF performance of prototype high-frequency components and systems for 5G.
Building upon AceAxis’s expertise in the design and supply of remote radio units (RRU) for 4G mobile networks, the Millimetre-Wave 5G Test System extends the capability of the existing AceAxis 4G modular test system. The new modules offer a compact, flexible solution for the emulation and aggregation of very wideband 5G radio channels at millimeter-wave frequencies. The modular design means that it is fully configurable to meet current and future standards and frequency bands.“Our Millimetre-Wave 5G Test System is extremely versatile,” said Steve Cooper, CEO of AceAxis. “It can be used by operators and OEMs for laboratory RF testing of base-station sectors, and also for the evaluation of prototype mobile terminals and baseband chipsets, since it can emulate 5G radio performance in either uplink or downlink functions.”
The compact, rack-based Millimetre-Wave 5G Test System comprises five individual 1U modules and is expandable to scale for additional capacity and frequency bands. The units supplied as standard include two AceAxis Ultra-400+ radio modules; a +10-dBm 400-MHz to 6-GHz wideband output module; a 2 x 8:1 combiner module; and a 28-GHz Millimetric Converter Module with an output bandwidth of over 1 GHz. The wide bandwidths of both the radio modules and the mmWave Converter mean that up to eight 100-MHz carriers can readily be aggregated into a single 800-MHz carrier.
Initially being launched with an operating frequency in the 28-GHz band, modules can also be supplied for the planned 39-GHz and 60-GHz bands, and also for any other potential 5G mmWave bands, including 78 GHz, when required.