These new devices - the BTS6302U/6201U pre-drivers and BTS7203/5 dual-channel receive front end modules - have been designed to offer low current consumption, reducing carrier operating costs. Developed using NXP’s silicon germanium (SiGe) process and in-house test and assembly, the devices offer high levels of integration, reducing system costs for OEMs. These devices are currently being deployed by major OEMs.
While traditional base stations provide four to eight transmit and receive channels, 5G massive MIMO infrastructure designs typically call for 32 or 64 transmit and receive channels.
This enables increased network throughput and responsiveness, but can also increase costs. By offering a dual-channel solution that's been optimised for low current consumption, NXP RX FEMs address the need for additional channels, while also reducing power needs and operating costs for both carriers and OEMs.
The BTS6302U pre-driver offers optimised 5G performance, with low current consumption and an integrated balun to reduce external components, simplifying design and reducing overall system costs. These pre-Driver and RX FEM devices are also compatible with NXP’s RapidRF series of reference boards, which further reduce 5G development cycles and time to market.
“With 5G deployments rolling out worldwide, OEMs and carriers must find new ways to optimise power consumption without compromising network quality,” Doeco Terpstra, VP and General Manager Smart Antenna Solutions, NXP. “These new dual-channel RX FEM and pre-driver solutions offer exactly that and will help accelerate the deployment of more sustainable 5G networks.”
