The RF optics innovation behind MatSing revolves around physics and material science, not hardware and complex software.
In a space where there isn’t usually a lot of evolution, MatSing is bringing innovation through patented metamaterial lens technology that uses refraction rather than reflection or electronic phase shifting to direct signals. In the same way, refraction telescopes act like a giant magnifying glass for objects in space; the MatSing “lens antenna” magnifies radio waves.
“Our lens antenna operates much like an eye does…receiving and sending signals from multiple directions through a single lens,” said Leo Matytsine, EVP and cofounder of MatSing. Unlike dish antennas, which reflect, or array antennas that use multiple antenna elements, the lens antenna’s refraction means the signal passes through the lens, which allows for unlimited beam density (the hardware does not “get in its own way”). A single RF lens can support dozens of feeds, each generating a distinct sectorized beam.
“We also cover different bands, and many different beams from a single antenna,” says Matytsine, “which provides significantly higher capacity and coverage, while enhancing performance, with fewer locations needed.”
Because the lens antenna accommodates multiple frequency bands simultaneously, the MatSing lens handles Sub-6GHz (LTE/5G), C-Band, and WiFi 6E bands.
Early traction for large outdoor events
“In this space, there’s been a lot of development in software and optimization even on the radio side, but the actual hardware – the thing that focuses the RF – has pretty much stayed the same for 30 years, with minor adjustments,” notes Matytsine. To truly solve problems no one else could, the founders sought out an application that presented a big enough challenge no one else had yet solved. “That event was the Coachella music festival. As you can imagine, there were a lot of fans, a lot of mobile streaming, and very heavy capacity demands.”
With more than 100,000 attendees in a single square mile, traditional cellular connectivity consistently crumbled under the strain of simultaneous social media posting and texting by the attendees. By deploying its lens antenna with the licensed band network equipment, MatSing provided coverage using 96 sectors from a single installation point. Thanks to the performance and ability to reach devices as far as 240’ away, “it offered tremendous capacity, positive fan experiences,” said Matytsine, noting that it launched the company into other large music events, festivals, and eventually stadiums and other large venues. “Whether 12,000 people or 100,000, we just need our lenses in a few locations, and we provide tremendous capacity.”
In its current evolution, the company’s solutions are also being used to solve capacity problems in “macro” everyday sites. “To build a brand new macro site is time-consuming and expensive, and generally, people don’t want to see additional towers.”
His approach is to just replace the current antennas with MatSing antennas, which he claims instantly gets more capacity and performance, without adding more sites. The solution eliminates the need to physically bolt more panel antennas onto a tower because one spherical lens houses dozens of feeds.
Multi-carrier approach: less infrastructure, more impact
Because the MatSing lens antennas support multiple mobile network operators (MNOs), they become a neutral host to various carriers’ infrastructure. “We believe in less infrastructure, more impact. Because our passive antenna works with all types of radios, and because it has tremendous capacity and a high number of beams, we can plug in one, three or five carriers – all sharing the same infrastructure.” In other words, the lens creates physically isolated beams so that massive capacity can be packed into one location, delivering the equivalent of many traditional antennas from a single platform.
“We miniaturized our technology to create macro antennas that also allow for great capacity with fewer sites, and better performance, and shared macro antenna for less infrastructure,” said Matytsine, who says fewer antennas mean fewer cables and other hardware. “It’s more green and allows companies to get the performance they need to stay ahead of capacity demands .”
Not just cellular; now WiFi
With the success of solving cellular capacity and performance in events, stadiums and macro applications, and its multi-carrier approach, the company is continuing to evolve. “We are based on physics and science, so we focus on R&D and to continue to improve the technology to move forward,” said Matystsine. Most recently, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company unveiled its WiFi 6E lens antenna, which features:
- 16 independent beams and 4×4 MIMO in the WiFi 6E band (5.125 to 7.125 GHz)
- Ability to cover thousands of simultaneous users from a single mount point
- Simplified deployment and maintenance
Matystsine said that WiFi has the same issue as cellular in stadiums, arenas, and buildings. “You need more capacity and zones with fewer antennas. Sometimes you have thousands of antennas around large venues, which is pricey and difficult to deploy because RF reflects through metal.” He says now, with 2 or 3 lenses “you instantly cover many sectors, covering a broad band of frequencies, and right away get capacity while using your antennas. It is a complement to complete connectivity in venues.”
