5G Antennas

Linx Technologies’ 5G antennas enable 5G cellular communications for applications from cellular IoT to public safety and private networking, with more applications coming as the FCC, BEREC and other regulatory bodies redefine spectrum.

5G cellular technology is called 5G New Radio, or 5G NR, by the 3GPP which defines global cellular standards. 3GPP is the same body that created the 3G and 4G (LTE) specifications, and 5G cellular frequency bands share many of the 4G LTE frequency bands. For example, 5G NR band 8 is the same as LTE band 8. New 5G NR bands are also added beyond LTE, and many LTE bands (e.g. Band 13) remain as LTE bands but are not specified for 5G.

Driven by regulatory agencies such as the FCC, 5G frequency bands may generally be defined as Low Band, Midband, High Band and Unlicensed. Collectively, the Low Band and Midband of 5G are often called Sub-6, meaning that these ranges are all below 6 GHz, and the low and midband ranges are denoted as Frequency Range 1 (FR1) in 3GPP documentation.

Low Band

The 5G low band comprises frequencies below 1 GHz, notably in the 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz and 900 MHz ranges. Lower frequencies provide increased propagation and penetration of buildings, making them ideal for cellular IoT applications such as LTE-M (Cat-M1), NB-IoT and follow-on 5G mMTC (massive Machine Type Communications). Additionally, some of these frequency bands are being applied to specific applications, such as the 900 MHz band consolidation in the US for private broadband network deployments by utilities and other industries.

Midband

5G midband spectrum comprises frequencies from 1 GHz to 6 GHz currently focusing on 2.5 GHz and 3.3 GHz to 4.2 GHz, with different regulatory bodies slicing existing cellular bands in slightly different ways. In the United States, for example, Citizen’s Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) for private cellular networks has been defined from 3.55 GHz to 3.7 GHz and Public Safety applications are supported in the 4.9 GHz band with ongoing review of the 2.5 GHz EBS and 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz C-band. In Europe 5G is most often defined in the 3.3 GHz to 3.8GHz band.

High Band

The high band comprises millimeter-wave frequencies. For the US this means, 24 GHz, 28 GHz, 37 GHz, 39 GHz and 47 GHz now or in the near future. Millimeter-wave frequencies generally require integrated antennas for optimal performance.

Unlicensed

There is broad recognition that unlicensed spectrum will be important for 5G, notably interaction with WiFi/WLAN. In the United States, the FCC is creating new opportunities for the next generation of WiFi (WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E) in the 6 GHz and above 95 GHz band.

5G Antenna Selection

Antenna needs vary greatly, so Linx offers a broad selection of antennas for 5G applications. Antennas vary in cost, size, and performance, including performance in any given system. By providing options, designers can evaluate multiple solutions to optimize their system.

Antennas on this page are organized as midband and low band external whip or blade antennas, midband-only external whip or blade antennas, low band-only whip or blade antennas, remote and panel mount antennas and embedded antennas.