Here's a summary of the industry news that caught my attention last week.

Companies and Products

Akoustis Technologies signed several agreements with a Chinese front-end module manufacturer to develop and supply high band BAW filters. Akoustis expects to begin producing initial prototype filters by the end of 2016 and receive production purchase orders in 2017.

Analog Devices (ADI) acquired Cyber Security Solutions. The acquisition adds a cybersecurity software and services business to enhance and expand ADI's capabilities for A&D, IoT and automotive.

During ADI's recent earnings call, CEO Vincent Roche responded to an analyst's question about the outlook for the communications infrastructure market, given its recent softness. He responded that communications infrastructure is "the electricity of the modern economy." Listen to his full statement:

ANSYS released version 17.2, with enhancements for multiphysics coupling, antenna design and automated temperature characteristics.

AtlanTecRF introduced 19 Ethernet-controlled noise generators, covering 10 Hz to 18 GHz and offering various noise densities (-122 dBc/Hz to -13 dBc/Hz) and output power levels from -20 dBm to +30 dBm.

GlobalFoundries plans to jump their CMOS process from 14 nm to 7 nm. Intel, Samsung and TSMC are moving to 10 nm. Moore's law isn't dead yet.

Peregrine Semiconductor and automated test equipment supplier Aemulus are collaborating to extend Aemulus' Amoeba™ AMB7600 RF tester to microwave frequencies, using MMICs designed on Peregrine's SOI process platform.

Another chip deal in the works? Reports say Renesas Electronics is negotiating to buy Intersil for approximately $3 billion. Renesas is motivated to retake lost market share in automotive.

Skyworks introduced two switches targeting Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and ZigBee. The SPDT SKY13585-679LF covers 1 to 6 GHz, and the SP3T SKY13586-678LF is good for 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi antenna switching.

The U.S. Department of Commerce granted ZTE another export reprieve, until 28 November, which allows U.S. companies to continue exporting products to ZTE. In March, the U.S. restricted exports to ZTE, claiming the company illegally exported products to Iran and set up an intentional process to get around U.S. export regulations.

Markets and Technology

5G — Gazing in the 5G crystal ball, Strategy Analytics projects that the first commercial 5G handsets will appear in 2020, and shipments will exceed 300 million in 2025.

At a recent investor conference, AT&T's CTO, Andre Fuetsch, gave an overview of their 5G activities and plans. Listen to his comments:

The FCC is seeking comments on "refinements" to their July 14 rules and proposal for additional millimeter wave spectrum for fixed and mobile use. Read the document.

The path to 5G is getting a little clearer, writes Larry Desjardin, a well known player in the test and measurement industry. The good news: millimeter wave is indeed coming; the "bad" news: making it work will be challenging, which is not a surprise.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison was awarded $1.85 million by NSF for four wireless projects, part of the Advanced Wireless Initiative. One of the projects will develop a millimeter wave multi-beam MIMO testbed.

Broadband — There's more smoke around Google Fiber, with The Information reporting that with subscribers far below goals and Google exploring wireless options, half the Google Fiber staff is being cut (approximately 500).

Nevertheless, the longterm prospects for connectivity are good, considering the internet penetration around the globe: from 79 percent in Europe to 25 percent in Africa, with the Americas at 65 percent.

RFID — Delta Airlines is converting from bar codes to RFID tags for tracking luggage. Will their move trigger other U.S. carriers to follow and boost RFID adoption? New York Times article.

Hype curve — Technology consulting firm Gartner updated their hype curve for emerging technologies. Autonomous vehicles, the connected home, IoT, UAVs and 802.11ax make the 2016 curve.

Women in engineering — Meet some of the women who are helping Nokia succeed. How is your company doing?

I'll be on vacation this coming week and am unplugging — for the first time in a long, long time. I'll resume social media postings after Labor Day. Have a good week.