The use of millimeter wave communication presents distinct advantages and disadvantages:
Ultra-large Bandwidth: It can provide continuous bandwidth of up to hundreds of MHz or even GHz, supporting ultra-high-speed data transmission (e.g., the theoretical peak rate of 5G can reach over 10 Gbps).
Short Wavelength: Due to its shorter wavelength, compared with traditional Sub6G systems, its antenna size can be smaller, making it suitable for integrating massive antenna arrays (Massive MIMO) and beamforming technology.
Propagation Characteristics:
- Weak Penetration: It is easily blocked by obstacles (walls, human bodies, vegetation), resulting in severe signal attenuation.
- High Path Loss: As can be seen from the free-space attenuation formula, the higher the frequency, the greater the space attenuation. Therefore, its transmission distance is shorter (usually, millimeter wave communication systems cover a range of less than several hundred meters).
- Atmospheric Absorption: Specific frequency bands (e.g., 60 GHz) are easily absorbed by oxygen, leading to signal attenuation.
- Line-of-Sight (LOS) Dependence: With a wavelength in millimeters, millimeter waves rely more on line-of-sight communication. For non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios, they need to rely on reflection or relaying, and further technological maturity is required.
1. Current Status of 60 GHz Millimeter Wave Frequency PlanningCurrent Status of International Frequency Planning
- IEEE 802.11ad/ay (WiGig): Operates in the range of 57.24 GHz to 70.20 GHz, but in practice, it mainly focuses on 57-66 GHz.
- ITU-R (International Telecommunication Union – Radiocommunication Sector): Classifies 57-66 GHz as a globally universal unlicensed frequency band to support short-range communication.
- FCC (Federal Communications Commission, USA): Permits the use of 57-71 GHz (V-band), covering a wider range.
- ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute): Allocates 57-66 GHz.
- China: Plans to use 59-64 GHz for industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) purposes.
Recognizing the inevitable trend of the future opening of the 60 GHz millimeter wave ISM band, Guoxin Longxin has now launched its first 60 GHz millimeter wave system. For technical specifications, please refer to FibeAir IP60D Millimeter Wave Private Network System. Currently, this system is only the first version of a commercial system, and its subsequent R&D and development will depend on the dual driving forces of application scenarios and the industrial chain.
It is important to emphasize that Guoxin Longxin has long launched a variety of wireless systems, all of which fall into the category of millimeter wave systems. Examples include the FibeAir outdoor integrated microwave system (operating in the 6-42 GHz frequency band) and the FibeAir E-Band high-capacity microwave system (utilizing the E-Band millimeter wave frequency ranges of 71-76 GHz and 81-86 GHz). However, due to the relatively high system cost and short communication distance, their application scenarios have been limited, especially in China. Nevertheless, as the spectrum resources in the low-to-medium frequency Sub6G bands become depleted, millimeter wave systems are likely to become one of the most crucial components in the deployment of 6G networks by telecom operators. This will inevitably drive the R&D of millimeter wave technology and promote the maturity of both the technology itself and its industrial chain.
Despite the propagation limitations of millimeter waves, their ultra-large bandwidth and low-latency characteristics give them unique value in the following scenarios:
- High-density areas such as stadiums, concerts, and airports, meeting the demand for thousands of users to access the internet at high speeds simultaneously.
- 8K video streaming and real-time transmission of VR/AR content (e.g., remote surgical guidance, virtual meetings).
2. Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)- Home/enterprise broadband as a fiber optic alternative: In areas where fiber optic deployment is difficult, millimeter wave base stations provide gigabit-level wireless broadband (e.g., Verizon’s 5G Home service). In other words, foreign operators have a greater demand for millimeter wave systems due to the challenges of deploying large-scale fiber optic networks.
- Supplementary rural coverage: Extending coverage through relay stations, serving as a key means for rural broadband operations.
- Factory automation: Supporting real-time control of industrial robots and transmission of high-definition sensor data.
- Remote operations: Controlling unmanned equipment in scenarios such as mines and ports (requiring low latency and high reliability).
- Indoor small base stations: An alternative to ultra-high-speed Wi-Fi in shopping malls and office buildings.
- Wireless data centers: Enabling high-speed data transmission between servers (replacing fiber optics).
- V2X communication (vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure): Supporting real-time updates of high-definition maps and collaborative collision avoidance among multiple vehicles.
- In-vehicle entertainment systems: Allowing multiple passengers to transmit 4K/8K video streams simultaneously.
- Backhaul of high-definition surveillance: Enabling real-time upload of 4K/8K video from urban cameras.
- Emergency communications: Temporarily deployed millimeter wave base stations (e.g., rapid networking at disaster sites).
- High-precision radar: Military radars and meteorological radars (millimeter waves enable high-resolution imaging).
- Security screening: Human body screening at airports (e.g., millimeter wave imagers replacing traditional X-rays).
In the 5G era, Qualcomm strongly advocated for millimeter wave systems to become a usable frequency band for 5G. However, Huawei’s 5G solution focusing on the Sub6G frequency band ultimately gained support from both the domestic and international industries. For those interested, you can search for articles such as “The U.S. Restarts Sub-6G Frequency Band Deployment for 5G; Qualcomm’s Insistence on Millimeter Waves Faces a Setback at the Outset” and “Will Xiaomi and Others Who Follow Qualcomm in Promoting Millimeter Waves Abandon the Domestic Market?” to learn more about the background of the communication industry.
Currently, millimeter wave communication systems are still in the early stages of development. Their technical theories, industrial chain development, and application scenario customization are all in the preliminary phase. In short, the development of millimeter waves still faces many technical challenges, so it is necessary to wait for further maturity of the technology and industry. The main deployment and technical issues to be addressed are as follows:
- Dense deployment: Due to the small coverage area, a large number of small base stations or relay devices are required.
- Line-of-sight transmission: The location of base stations (e.g., street lamps, rooftops) needs to be optimized to ensure line-of-sight communication.
- Cost considerations: The cost of high-frequency components and antenna arrays is relatively high, requiring a balance between investment and return. However, as the usage of millimeter wave systems increases, their costs will show a downward trend.
- Climate impact: Rain and snow may cause signal attenuation (requiring dynamic power adjustment).
In general, millimeter waves are one of the core technologies for future ultra-high-speed communication, especially suitable for high-density, high-capacity, and low-latency scenarios. With advancements in beamforming, relay technology, and materials science, as well as collaborative linkage in the upstream and downstream industrial chains, their application scope will be further expanded. Millimeter waves are expected to become one of the key components of 6G, satellite communication, and space-air-ground integrated networks.
Guoxin Longxin, committed to becoming a leader in the wireless industry, will also continue to follow the development of millimeter wave technology and launch more commercial millimeter wave wireless systems in a timely manner to meet the ultra-high bandwidth network needs of users in various industries. Similar to other wireless systems, the performance of millimeter wave systems is highly dependent on the customization of solutions. Users in need of millimeter wave communication systems are welcome to contact the technical department of Guoxin Longxin for product consultation or customized solution services.
