A brief history of the window antenna
Compact, inconspicuous antennas could increase cell coverage transparently
Branded WAVEANTENNA, the antenna is installed on the interior surface of windows. Apart perhaps from its cabling, the WAVEANTENNA is an otherwise inconspicuous piece of equipment that is often tucked out of sight, placed near the top or otherwise at the edges of a window.
It is compatible with frequencies in the 5G Sub6 band—meaning signals that are less than 6 gigahertz (GHz). Sub6 antennas represent critical portions of a 5G deployment, as their lower frequency ranges penetrate barriers like walls and buildings better than the substantially higher-bandwidth millimeter-wave portions of the 5G spectrum.
An earlier version of the product was launched in 2020, while a version that could handle sharing by multiple cell networks was introduced last year, according to AGC. The company says its antenna is optimized for frequencies between 3.7 and 4.5 GHz bands, which still allows for substantial bandwidth—albeit not comparable with what an ideal millimeter-wave 5G deployment could reach. (Millimeter waves can deliver typically between 10 and 50 GHz of bandwidth.)
The glass antenna can help expand 5G coverage as infrastructure sharing will become more important to carriers, AGC says. Besides increasing the number of locations for base stations, the device makes it easier to select the appropriate installation height, according to Ochiai.
AGC has also applied 5G glass antennas to automobiles, where they can help reduce dropped signals. The company reports that users include Halo.Car, an on-demand EV rental service in Las Vegas that relies on high-speed networks for remote drivers to deliver cars to customers.
This article appears in the November 2024 print issue.
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