Akoustis is excited to announce the addition of a new 5G small cell infrastructure customer. After sampling and testing the Akoustis band n79 filter, the company has placed a pre-production order and is planning to employ the technology in their new 5G network infrastructure equipment. A full commercial launch is scheduled for early calendar 2021.
Growing our client base
This new customer acquisition is in addition to an existing Tier-1 5G network infrastructure client, who has evaluated a total of four XBAW™ RF filter designs (two in band n77 and two in band n79.)
The Akoustis team is engaged at present with a number of other potential customers who are currently evaluating our existing band n77 and n79 RF filter solutions, including Tier-1 and Tier-2 small cell network equipment OEMs. Several OEMs have expressed interest in additional new filters in the sub-6 GHz 5G bands.
Speaking about the potential for growth, CEO and Founder Jeff Shealy noted, “Our XBAW™ products continue to see increased demand as OEMs, ODMs and SoC makers push into ultra-high band markets including sub-6 GHz 5G, WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E. We are pleased to receive this design win and pre-production order for our band n79 5G XBAW™ filter from our new 5G small cell customer, and expect to add other new customers in the coming months.”
Guiding the industry
Akoustis’ design win in band n79 underscores the company’s leadership in delivering BAW filters at ultra-high frequencies while highlighting the growing demand for BAW filters in the 5G small cell market.
Capable of handling high frequency, wide bandwidth and high power, XBAW™ filters are uniquely suited to serve the 5G network infrastructure market. A market that is expected to surge over the coming five years.
According to a report prepared by Zion Market Research in 2019, the global market for small cell 5G networks will expand at approximately 37% CAGR from 2019 through 2025, growing from under $400M in value to $3.5B.
Why small cell?
5G small cell base stations are capable of providing extended coverage for consumers, businesses and 5G mobile service providers with high data throughput. These low power, short range transmission devices mitigate the shorter wavelengths associated with higher frequencies through the installation of many small base stations compared to past generations of wireless networks that primarily relied on traditional towers.
5G small cell equipment provides a viable solution for dense urban areas with high user density and high data transmission needs. Akoustis’ patented XBAW™ RF filter process and design are specifically engineered for high performance in ultra-wide bandwidth applications.