In these early days of 5G, one of the biggest questions is when and how to take advantage of the newest generation of wireless technology, when LTE is still the backbone of current networks.
Module vendor Telit is trying to make adoption easier by offering up a new 5G product that covers multiple “Gs” and operates in both sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave frequencies, so that 5G devices can be put in the field now to leverage existing networks – but can use 5G when it arrives.
At Mobile World Congress Los Angeles, Marco Argenton, Telit’s Senior Product Manager, IoT Cellular Modules, showed RCR Wireless News a brand-new device that utilizes Telit’s FN980m data card, which integrates both FR1 and FR2 frequency ranges.
Telit was recently involved in the first 5G data call in a live network with a Tier 1 South Korean operator, he said, and it is also working on putting together a number of additional 5G test scenarios with leading test equipment companies Anritsu and Rohde & Schwarz.
“We are really writing the book together. We are really breaking the ground here, in terms of test cases,” Argenton said. “It’s a new technology, and we have to test together and cooperate to make this product available for our end customers.”
The FN980m data card provides 5G access in a popular form factor, he added, and went on to say that because the card also supports 4G bands, it allows both global deployment, or regional deployment in areas where 5G is not yet available.
Safi Khan, regional product marketing director for Telit, said that the card also has built-in GNSS capabilities for position location, as well as 3G network support. Use cases for the solution include fixed wireless access for broadband, such as connecting surveillance cameras or broadcast cameras, routers, gateways or customer premise equipment (CPE). Khan added that the Telit module supports both low-power and high-power antennas for millimeter wave, with the latter being particularly important for ensuring that equipment such as a CPE can cover a larger footprint.
The 5G module samples have already shipped to lead customers who are designing products with them, Khan said, and full-scale production will begin early 2020.
