Huawei has recently released a new technology for antennas CableFree. The new technology will enable base station antennas to improve in capabilities, including integration, radiation efficiency, and power capacity.
Huawei’s CableFree technology
High-band coverage for 5G
The introduction of high frequency bands in 5G requires antenna gains to be significantly increased to provide wide coverage. This further mandates multi-band coordination to complete such wide coverage. A typical example is to utilize 1.8 GHz and 2.1 GHz bands to implement 5G uplink coverage.
High-band coverage is essential for ensuring 5G experience consistency. CableFree improves antenna radiation efficiency by approximately 20 percent, boosting high-quality coverage of the 5G era.
Higher output power
5G is designed to meet high-capacity and high-speed requirements, and this highlights the necessity of introducing new spectrum and deploying high-order MIMO technology. To adapt to this trend, antennas must accommodate a high power of up to 1 kW, far above 500 to 600 watts of previous radio access technologies. CableFree increases the antenna power capacity by more than 80 percent, meeting the requirements for higher output power in the 5G era.
Reduced antenna weight
A higher level of antenna component integration offers an effective approach to reduce antenna weight. With CableFree, a six-band antenna can be 10 kg lighter. The weight of multi-band antennas can be kept below 50 kg. As a result, a crane is not required during installation, simplifying installation and reducing cost.
Better PIM performance
PIM is short for passive intermodulation, reflecting signal interaction at the junction of two metal mechanical components of antennas. CableFree reduces screws and soldering points in antennas by 80 percent, reducing PIM risks while also ensuring long-term PIM stability. The resulting novel architecture and process further improve production automation and consistency among batches.
Zhang Jiayi, president of Huawei Antenna Business Unit, said: Huawei applied CableFree to Huawei’s Munich Pro, Golden Mini, and London Pro series antennas, as well as 32T32R Massive MIMO products, helping customers deploy 5G networks.