Fractal's Symphony-SP antenna streamlines stadium 5G installations

Fractal Antenna Systems, Inc. on Sept. 5 announced its first sales for the “Symphony-SP” – billed as "a new and innovative directional antenna solution for sub-6GHz 5G sector coverage in stadiums and high capacity venues." The company contends its Symphony-SP represents a material improvement to existing solutions, delivering wideband coverage in a highly reduced size and weight.

The company says its Symphony-SP provides broadband MIMO coverage from 617MHz to 6GHz, with coverage of all key licensed and unlicensed bands – including GSM, LTE, 5G, CBRS, WiFi, C-Band, and LAA. "And this coverage comes in a surprisingly small package," adds Fractal. "The Symphony-SP weighs in at less than 10 lbs and wields a footprint of less than 13”x13” – a radical reduction relative to alternative directional sector coverage solutions. Given the size advantage, some RF designers are opting to put two Symphony-SPs in the same footprint as the one antenna being replaced, for additional MIMO coverage," notes the company.   

Per Fractal, "The adoption of 5G presents major antenna challenges due to the need for wider band coverage and increasing orders of MIMO. Traditional antenna solutions require many narrow band antennas to be crammed under a single cover. This leads to increased size, complexity, interactions, and cost. As bandwidth and MIMO levels increase, it drives traditional designs headlong towards an 'antennapocalypse' as Fractal’s CEO Dr. Nathan Cohen puts it. By using proprietary wideband antenna designs, FRACTAL significantly reduces the complexity, size, and number of sub-6GHz antennas, freeing up space for more eye-pleasing solutions and/or higher performance. Stadiums and high capacity venues are the testbed of the latest antenna and RF technologies. With thousands of people crowded together streaming videos and photos, these venues present an RF design nightmare. Carriers, 3POs, Integrators and Facility owners are deploying everything they have to help alleviate this throughput pressure. FRACTAL’s Symphony-SP offers an elegant antenna solution to these increasing demands."

“While millimeter wave is getting a lot of attention in 5G, the reality is that sub-6GHz will continue to be the anchor and primary vehicle for ubiquitous high throughput connectivity,” explains Fractal’s VP of Strategy and Product Management, Petersen Bolvig. “We are not going to get away from the ‘antennapocalypse’ problem without a radical new approach to sub 6GHz antenna design. This is where our technology provides major benefits, with the Symphony-SP as one example.”

The Symphony-SP represents Fractal’s spearhead product for high capacity venues. Currently the company is also applying its technology to a range of additional DAS, small cell, and macrocell antenna applications. By using Fractal technology, the increasing bandwidth and MIMO requirements are met without the form factor compromises of traditional designs, concludes the company.

Visit the Fractal website at www.fractenna.com or contact the company directly at [email protected].