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Here's a recap of news that caught my attention, including a few items from the recent International Microwave Symposium:
Companies and Products
Broadcom Ltd.'s second quarter wireless revenue increased 37 percent sequentially to $792 million. Growth came from the first full quarter of the combined Avago and Broadcom businesses, as demand from Samsung was not sufficient to offset Apple's softness.
During the earnings call, Hock Tan, Broadcom's CEO, said the wireless segment will grow in the "mid 20 percent range" in fiscal Q3 as iPhone 7 production begins to ramp.
Ericsson released the latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report. Among their forecasts, the number of IoT connected devices will exceed mobile phones by 2018, reaching nearly 16 billion of the total 28 billion.
Genstar Capital acquired Infinite RF Holdings (IRF), parent of Pasternack and Fairview. Rob Rutledge, managing director at Genstar, said, "We believe through our partnership with the management team, IRF will accelerate growth both organically and through strategic acquisitions."
Globalfoundries is forming a JV to establish a 300 mm wafer fab in China. The government of Chongqing will provide the land and an existing 200 mm fab, and Globalfoundries will upgrade it to 300 mm.
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) subpoenaed Huawei, requiring that the company disclose all American technology re-exported to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria during the past five years. The DoC is investigating whether Huawei violated U.S. export laws, similar to an ongoing investigation into ZTE.
MACOM is sampling Tx and Rx modules for E-Band radio links. Each surface-mount module covers the full 71 to 86 GHz band. The MAMF-011057 transmitter incorporates a balanced image reject (IR) mixer, x8 LO multiplier, envelope detector, RF buffer amplifier, RF power amplifier and output power detector and is packaged in a 12 x 8 mm, surface-mount module with a WR12 interface at the output. The MADC-011014 receiver is designed for direct down-conversion architectures and integrates a balanced IR mixer with a x8 LO multiplier and LNA into an 8 x 8 mm, surface-mount module with a WR12 interface at the input.
Northrop Grumman released two, 24 to 28 GHz GaN power amplifiers. The single-ended and balanced designs provide 38 and 40.5 dBm saturated output power, respectively.
Qorvo achieved impressive linearity from a compact, 2.6 GHz GaN driver and Doherty power amplifier module using NanoSemi digital predistortion (DPD). Designed for next-generation massive multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems, the QPA2705 amplifier provides 5 W average output power and -55 dBc ACPR with a 5 x 20 MHz LTE signal. Also, Qorvo appointed Mark Murphy as CFO. Murphy replaces Steve Buhaly, who is retiring. Previously, Murphy served as CFO at automotive supplier Delphi.
Rohde & Schwarz launched a mid-range signal and spectrum analyzer that provides 160 MHz analysis bandwidth to 40 GHz. The phase noise of the unit is typically –117 dBc at 1 GHz and 10 kHz offset.
SpaceX seems to have mastered rocket landings. Watch this stunning video of the May 27 Falcon 9 landing, taken from the descending rocket:
Markets and Technology
Cellular — EJL Wireless reported that global base station shipments grew 16 percent in 2015, setting another record. LTE in China drove the growth, and Huawei was the #1 global supplier. However, EJL Wireless estimates that global shipments will decline 12 percent in 2016, with FDD LTE shipments flat, TDD LTE declining 44 percent and W-CDMA/HSPA+ down 5 percent.
To add capacity in London, Vodafone is deploying Ericsson mini base stations that have three times the capacity and are half the size and weight of standard equipment. The two companies are also testing three-way carrier aggregation (CA) to boost data rates and network capacity. Using the 800 MHz, 1.8 and 2.6 GHz bands, Vodafone reported download speeds of up to 240 Mbps.
A multi-year, peer reviewed study reported "low incidences" of tumors in male rats exposed to GSM/CDMA at 900/1900 MHz. Ironically, female rats did not develop the same tumors. Other concerns with the study were enumerated by Indiana University pediatrics professor Aaron Carroll.
5G — From the recent ETSI summit on 5G, Telecom TV interviewed Toktam Mahmoodi, assistant professor of telecommunications at Kings College London. She discussed the development of 5G, including the need for and feasibility of ultra-low latency in 5G networks.
UAVs — The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will test a system to detect, identify and disable unauthorized UAVs flying near airports. According to an article in the Daily Mail, the anti-UAV defense system (AUDS) "can detect a drone six miles (10 km) away using electronic scanning radar, track it using precision infrared and daylight cameras and specialist video tracking software before disrupting the flight using an inhibitor to block the radio signals that control it." The system was developed by three British companies: Enterprise Control Systems, Blighter Surveillance Systems and Chess Dynamics.
Looking for something to read during your summer holidays? Bill Gates recommends these 10 books. And you might want to read this tutorial on the danger of using WPS for the security of your wireless network.
If you come across news that you think your colleagues would like covered in this weekly summary, email me at glerude@mwjournal.com.
Have a good week.