Millimetre wave is not sub-6 with bigger numbers. The propagation is unforgiving, the antenna is an array rather than a component, and thermal design stops being a packaging exercise and becomes the thing that limits output power. A radio unit for these bands is a different piece of hardware, not a retuned one.
At millimetre wave the link only exists because of antenna gain. Free-space loss is far higher than at sub-6 frequencies, foliage and rain matter, and a hand or a body can end a connection. Every one of those is answered by narrow, steerable beams, which is why the antenna is an array and the array is part of the radio rather than attached to it.
That integration is the defining constraint. The array, the front-end circuits behind each element and the beamforming control are one assembly, and their spacing is fixed by wavelength rather than by convenience. There is very little room to move anything.
Thermal design then decides output power. Amplifier efficiency is lower at these frequencies, dissipation is concentrated in a small area behind the array, and the enclosure cannot grow without changing the mechanical envelope. In practice the heatsink sets what the radio can transmit.
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Band | FR2 millimetre wave, band selection per market and deployment |
| Antenna | Phased array, element spacing fixed by wavelength, integrated with the front end |
| Beamforming | Analog or hybrid, with beam management interfaced to the distributed unit |
| Calibration | Per-element amplitude and phase, maintained across temperature and ageing |
| Front end | Per-element amplification and switching, laid out within array pitch |
| Fronthaul | O-RAN 7.2x over optical, with the timing accuracy the split requires |
| Thermal | Dissipation-led mechanical design; heatsinking sizes the achievable output power |
| Environment | Outdoor rated, with the enclosure treated as part of the RF design |
| Deployment | Fixed wireless access, dense urban capacity, venues, and fixed point-to-point links |
Maturity — silicon-proven, FPGA-validated or RTL stage — is confirmed at enquiry for the specific configuration you need, rather than claimed generically here.
Send the target node, the interface requirements and the integration context. If this is not the right fit, that will be said early rather than discovered at integration.
The antenna is a phased array integrated with the front end rather than a separate component, element spacing is fixed by wavelength so there is little layout freedom, and thermal design limits output power rather than merely packaging it. It is different hardware, not a retuned version.
Amplifier efficiency is lower, dissipation is concentrated in the small area behind the array, and the enclosure cannot grow without changing the mechanical envelope. In practice the heatsink sets what the radio can transmit.
Beamforming works by controlling the relative amplitude and phase of each element. Component variation, temperature and ageing shift those relationships, and once they drift the beam points somewhere other than intended — so calibration is continuous rather than a factory step.
Where capacity rather than coverage binds, and where the path can be engineered: fixed wireless access, dense urban hotspots, venues, industrial sites with line of sight, and point-to-point links. It is a poor answer to a coverage problem.
Yes, but the beam management burden is considerably higher than at sub-6, because beams are narrow and blockage is abrupt. Deployments that avoid mobility — fixed access and point-to-point — get most of the capacity benefit for far less of the difficulty.
Sub-6 with Wi-Fi 7 in one box.
PRODUCTThe sub-6 platform.
KNOWLEDGESSB sweeping and beam mobility.
TECHNOLOGYLink budget and propagation.
PRODUCTAmplifier efficiency.
CAPABILITYFront-end circuit design.
Tell us the specification, the constraint and the deadline. Programmes that cross silicon, radio, embedded and AI are where Faststream is strongest.