5G antennas will be Massive

 

This is one 5G base station form factor, as envisaged by China Mobile.

The Massive MIMO technology expected to be at the heart of 5G will mean large base stations, containing possibly hundreds of smart antennas, and far too big to be installed on windy mobile masts. LTE base stations use no more than six.

Tod Sizer, head of wireless research at Alca-Lu Labs, thinks it's a creative challenge for the industry. He expects the large antennas will be placed behind billboards and on the sides of buildings in densely-populated downtown areas.

China Mobile's thinking is it can embed the antenna in company names or logos on the side of buildings, as shown off here at Mobile Asia Expo last week.