Massive MIMO Radio Transceiver Manufacturers Driving 5G Networks

Massive MIMO radio transceivers are revolutionizing the wireless communication landscape, especially in the deployment of 5G networks. With enhanced capacity, coverage, and efficiency, these transceivers are critical for modern telecommunications. In this guide, we highlight the top manufacturers of massive MIMO radio transceivers, leading the charge in advancing 5G technology and beyond. The page covers manufacturers of Massive MIMO Transceiver or Radio Head. This massive MIMO radio transceiver is used in 4G LTE and 5G NR (New Radio) systems.

What is Massive MIMO Radio Transceiver ?

As we know massive MIMO system consists of large number of antennas which are used in 5G NR base station side. To support large array of antennas, multiple radio transceivers are required in chain. Each transceiver is mapped to two antenna elements. Here one antenna element uses horizontal where as the other uses vertical polarization.

There are two types viz. SU-MIMO and MU-MIMO as shown in the figure-1 . Typically 16/32/64/96 antenne elements are used in such configuration.

For example, figure-2 depicts 32T32R massive MIMO. As shown there are 32 transmit path and 32 receive path which are served by 16 transceivers. Analog devices has developed AD9371 which supports two transmit paths, two receive paths and observation receiver. AD9528 is used as clock generator.

As shown, massive MIMO transceiver can be placed between digital baseband and antenna array. It houses RF mixers. Refer article on design of RF Frequency converter >> for more information.

5G Massive MIMO Transceiver Manufacturers | Massive MIMO Radio Head Manufacturers

Following table mentions 5G massive MIMO Transceiver manufacturers.

Company	Part number	Description
Analog Devices Inc.	ADRV9026	• It is wideband RF Transceiver designed for Base Station Manufacturers. • It supports TDD and FDD topologies and can be used in 3G/4G/5G applications. • It houses 4 differential transmitters and 4 differential receivers. • It can be used for RF carrier frequencies in the range from 650 MHz to 6000 MHz. • It supports maximum receiver bandwidths up to 200 MHz. • It houses 12.288 Gbps JESD204B/JESD204C digital interface. • Refer ADI 5G Transceiver App. Note>>
TI	AFE76xx	• MIMO Transceiver used for LTE and 5G Radio designs. • It is 2x2 MIMO Transceiver houses 2 transmit and 2 receive ports. • Center RF frequency of 1.84 GHz. • Integrates 4 ADCs and 4 DACs and PLL.
Nutaq	Massive MIMO Reference design (Scalable and Flexible) which uses Radio Remote Head (RRH) with either 4TRX or 8TRX	• RRH-4TRX, Radio640 supports 4 TRx with total of eight TRX per RRH • Radio640 processes 250 MHz signal with upto 1000 antennas. • RRH-8TRX (Radio Remote Head) supports 8 TRX capable, 125 MHz OTA (Over The Air) BW • Refer 5G Massive MIMO TestBed >> for other hardware components and software used.
RF DSP Inc.	8Tx/8Rx MIMO RF Transceiver Module	• The module can be used for 5G NR Radio units. • It supports MIMO Radio Head from 4T4R to 64T64R or 128T128R for 5G macro cells. • Refer RF DSP Inc. >> for more information.
Anokiwave	AWMF-0108	• Ka Band Transceiver which is used to implement MIMO/Beamforming for 5G equipment. • It supports TDD, massive mimo and multi user MIMO • Supports 27.5 to 30 GHz frequency range. • Supports 4 Tx/Rx radiating antenna elements • Anokiwave offers design kit and evaluation kit for customers.
Ericsson	Massive MIMO Radio System	• Supports deployment of 4G TDD and 5G technologies. • Supports 64T64R antenna system on 2300 MHz • The company offers end to end system modules which include MIMO radio, RAN, radio system software, mobile transport, antenna system and so on. • Visit : Ericsson.com for more information
Nokia	AirScale Radio Access System	It consists of all of the following modules or subsystems. • Nokia Airscale BS (Base Station) • Nokia Airscale Active Antennas • Cloud RAN • Airscale WiFi • Common software which supports 2G/3G/4G/5G radio access technologies • Visit : Nokia.com
Samsung Electronics		• It offers Massive MIMO Radio products viz. 32T32R (at 3.5 GHz), 64T64R (at 2.5 GHz, CBRS) • The MIMO antenna array supports multi antenna elements (about 96) to handle multiple data streams simultaneously for beamforming. • Massive MIMO radio transceivers can transmit sharp and pin pointing beams to multi devices simultaneously with minimal interference. • The company offers end to end products for 5G deployment which include baseband, radio, massive MIMO radio, access unit, virtual RAN, cloud native core, radio and service planner etc.
Airspan	The company offers various products to be used in 5G NR system which can be used for mmwave, sub 6 GHz, massive MIMO and Open vRAN architecture.	• Air5G OpenRANGE06 : Provides 5G NR sub 6GHz outdoor access, houses Remote radio unit with massive MIMO antenna array (up to 64 x 64). • Air5G OpenRANGE28 : Supports mmwave and houses radio unit and distributed unit. Radio unit supports antenna array upto 128 x 128. • Visit Airspan.com for other 5G products such as OpenRANGE DU, OpenRANGE SW, AirDensity 5G etc.
Parallel Wireless	5G OpenRAN	• The company offers OpenRAN outdoor hardware and software suite. • Visit Parallelwireless.com for more information.

Conclusion

Selecting a trusted massive MIMO radio transceiver manufacturer is key to unlocking the full potential of 5G networks. These manufacturers provide cutting-edge solutions that enhance network performance, allowing faster speeds and greater connectivity in dense environments. Invest in reliable partners to stay ahead in the fast-evolving telecom landscape.