IIT(ISM) develops 5G antenna for mobile phones

DHANBAD: The electronics department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)(ISM) has developed fifth generation (

5G

) antenna for mobile phones that can eliminate

data

loss and enhance download speeds 10 times more than the current

4G

phones.


Associate professor Raghvendra Kumar Chaudhary of the institute’s electronics department told TOI that the new technology would not only eliminate data loss that current 4G phones experience but would also enhance downloading and live streaming speeds by 10 times. He said a team comprising three

students

— T Shreenath Reddy, Tanjir Alam, Mohammed Ameen — and two professors — Raghvendra Kumar Chaudhary and Ravi Gangwar — developed the 5G antenna. Their work was funded by the department of science and technology (DST) and the central government’s

Science and Engineering Research Board

(SERB).

Explaining the advantages of 5G antenna, Chaudhary said, “Currently, 4G LTE network which uses multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) technology is offering peak data speeds of around 40 Mbps. It is expected that 5G will utilise three new technologies (Massive-MIMO, beam forming and cognitive radio technologies) to offer higher data speeds as compared to the current 4G technology. MIMO technology in 4G involves four antennas at transmitter and receiver sections whereas Massive MIMO technology in 5G involves 64 antennas at both transmitter and receiver sections which greatly increase the capacity of the base station and in turn providing higher data speed.”

The detailed research work for the new antenna is being sent to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a reputed journal of USA for publication. Chaudhary said once the article is published in the journal, it would be used by mobile manufacturers for commercial purpose. In order to use the new technology, the manufactures will have to make significant changes in infrastructure and details of the changes would also be published in the journal, he added.