Filtronic plc has shipped 50,000 E-Band transceiver modules for the growing 5G XHaul market, demonstrating data rates to 40 Gbps, according to the company.

With its wide bandwidth, E-Band (from 71 to 76 and 81 to 86 GHz) provides mobile operators with a high capacity, high data rate channel for backhaul, midhaul and fronthaul (collectively known as XHaul), which is particularly important for the enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) capabilities of 5G.

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E-Band links will be used for XHaul links in areas without fiber networks or where E-Band radios are used to connect several base stations to a fiber node.

“There has been a record demand this year for our flagship E-Band transceiver module, Orpheus, which has been delivered in volume to a number of customers for integration into high capacity mobile backhaul radio solutions,” said Reg Gott, executive chairman of Filtronic. “Earlier this year, we added the new generation Morpheus II to our product range, and demand for this module is beginning to take off, as well, in particular for the high power option that is desirable for implementing carrier aggregation.”

Both Orpheus and Morpheus II have highly-integrated architectures that contain all RF transmit and receive functions for an E-Band radio link, including an embedded diplexer. Morpheus II incorporates a new generation of highly linear, high-power amplifier MMICs developed by Filtronic.

This functionality enables the transceiver to “drop in” between the antenna and baseband modem. Simplifying installation, the transceivers includes a control board that will calibrate the entire RF system. All units are 100 percent tested prior to shipment.

Filtronic transceiver modules have been widely deployed in the field, supporting wideband applications up to 10 Gbps per channel. Morpheus II and Orpheus have been qualified for the latest radio platforms developed for 5G XHaul.

Filtronic’s E-Band transceiver architecture is readily configurable for other systems, such as defense, enterprise, LEO satellite and high altitude platforms.