C-COM partners with International consortium to develop next-gen antennas
September 15, 2020
C-COM Satellite Systems, the designer and manufacturer of commercial grade, auto-acquire mobile satellite antenna systems, announced today that it has joined an International consortium to develop next generation phased array antennas for both 5G cellular and satellite communications networks. Formed under the Intergovernmental Canadian/European EUREKA/PENTA program, the goal is to develop flexible and scalable antenna modules and technologies for operation in the upper 5G bands (Frequency Range 2) and in the high frequency satellite V-band.
In addition to C-COM, the HEFPA (Highly Efficient and Flexible Phase Arrays) partners are: NXP Semiconductors Netherlands BV (project coordinator); Carleton University; Eindhoven University of Technology; Semiconductor Ideas to the Market (ItoM) BV; Skyworks Solutions Canada Inc.; and the University of Waterloo. The consortium combines broad expertise from industry and academia covering a wide range of technologies and all aspects of the project, which will span the next 3 years.
“We are pleased to be part of this ambitious and challenging project, which will lead to the development of the next generation 5G mmWave antenna technology for terrestrial as well as for high frequency (V-band) satellite broadband communications,“ said Dr. Leslie Klein, President & CEO of C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. “The funding for the Canadian partners in this project has been facilitated by the Government of Canada’s IRAP program and we are grateful for their continued support.”
Bringing together an ecosystem of partners with experience in RF ICs (radio frequency chips), RF systems, chip packaging and PCBs (printed circuit boards), the HEFPA consortium will develop its modules for use by system integrators and product developers targeting consumer and commercial markets using future 5G and SatCom products, exploiting the benefits of higher frequencies and scalable, flexible designs. These technologies are the key to improved network capacity, significantly faster downloads, and reductions in ’latency’ also known as lag (i.e. the time between a sender causing a change in a system’s state and its reception by an observer).
Recent approvals by FCC will usher in the use of V-band frequencies by satellite operators of GEO-Stationary as well as emerging Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) constellations, including SpaceX, Amazon Kuiper, OneWeb, Telesat and others.