infoTECH Feature

March 03, 2010

SkyCross Combines iMAT with Digital Band-Switching

SkyCross, a global antenna designer and manufacturer, has combined its patented iMAT antenna technology with advanced digital band-switching for LTE (News - Alert). The announcement was made at the Mobile World Congress.
 
This solution, according to the company, not only delivers exceptional performance with up to 2.5-times faster 4G data rates, but also supports the legacy wireless protocols that operate with LTE.
 
“The industry is painfully aware of the issues that surround implementing LTE in small mobile devices with already limited space and extremely high performance expectations,” Charles Riggle, vice president of Marketing and Business Development at SkyCross (News - Alert), said. “The way the antennas work in 4G systems can affect how the device performs, how the user experiences the service, and how the carrier makes money. We are pleased to work with 4G network operators and major device OEMs to raise the bar on performance for LTE smartphones and other small wireless devices, particularly in the 700 MHz band.”
 
Back in September, SkyCross had announced the availability of its iMAT solutions for LTE. iMAT specifically addresses the multiple-input, multiple-output requirement of 4G protocols.
 
SkyCross iMAT antennas is said to use a patented antenna design technique that enables a single optimized antenna element which lowers cost, improves MIMO performance, and streamlines the integration process when compared to traditional antennas.
 
With added band-switching technology, iMAT antennas can now tune across multiple frequencies as required for the function operating on the device at that moment. This further reduces the space occupied by the antenna, especially at 700 MHz, while also delivering exceptional performance for all of the device’s features.
 
Current SkyCross designs support up to 10 bands including 700 MHz band 13 and 17 for North American LTE, 2600 MHz band 7 for global LTE carriers, as well as legacy penta-band 3G cellular, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, which emerging 4G smartphones require.
 
SkyCross said that it can apply its antenna technology to support any combination of bands needed, enabling device manufacturers to select bands that apply to their designs.

Jai C.S. is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Jai's articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Amy Tierney
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