National Instruments has announced two new series of millimeter wave (mmWave) radio heads for the mmWave Transceiver System. The new radio heads, which cover spectrum from 24.5GHz to 33.4GHz and 37GHz to 43.5GHz, are targeted at wireless researchers prototyping 5G New Radio (NR) systems.

The new mmWave radio heads would enable researchers in United States, Korea, Japan, China, as well as countries in Europe to quickly prototype 5G systems at different frequency bands. The new 24.5-33.4 GHz radio heads include the mmRH-3642, mmRH-3652 and mmRH-3602. The new 37-43.5 GHz radio heads include the mmRH-3643, mmRH-3653 and mmRH-3603.

As the first phase of 5G NR wraps up and the 3GPP finishes defining the communications protocol, the standards body also has identified specific frequency bands intended for 5G. Additionally, various regulatory bodies across the globe have begun the process of allocating spectrum for mmWave 5G mobile access.

NI provides engineers with the tools they need to prototype communications systems that help decrease the overall time to develop and introduce new technologies. In 2016, NI announced its mmWave Transceiver System, which features modular mmWave frequency software defined radio (SDR) technology designed for 5G and advanced wireless communications. Since then, NI has continued to release new mmWave radio heads to provide additional frequency coverage in line with the 3GPP.

The new radio heads are completely compatible with the mmWave Transceiver System, including the baseband subsystem and software. They are also interchangeable with the previously released radio mmWave heads, which means the existing software can be reused with minimal changes.

The open, modifiable physical layer provided in the source code created using NI's LabVIEW aligns with the Verizon 5G TF specification and Release 15 of 3GPP's 5G NR specifications. It also pairs with the mmWave Transceiver System to offer researchers a flexible solution that operates as an over-the-air communications system out of the box. They can modify the source code for their specific research areas and use it for a wide range of applications including channel sounding, 5G NR algorithm development and optimization and beam steering algorithm research and test.