XPHASED Releases Self-developed mmW Chips for 5G

XPHASED's self-developed millimeter wave (mmW) phased array chip will be put into mass production in February with low-cost silicon technology, the chip's research team said. An industry expert said that its low cost will greatly boost popularization of 5G across the world.

Industry experts believe that this technology breakthrough in mass production of 5G mmW phased array chips will effectively promote the product to achieve reasonable price and better performance.

Zhang Chengjun, XPHASED General Manager, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the company has significantly reduced its production cost and made commercialization possible, and mass production of the mmW chips is expected to start on February 1. 

"In the past, mmW chips in III-V compound semiconductors were priced at several hundred or even thousands of RMB. Given these high prices, it is basically impossible to commercialize chips," Zhang said.

"The new chip has a much lower price compared with the same kind of chips in the global market, and the quality of the new chip is at world-class levels," he said. 

The innovation project involving the mmW chip was initiated in March 2016. After some years of research and development, small-scale trial production began last October, and 50,000 chips were made.

XPHASED has already received orders from companies worldwide, including some in France, and it is discussing with companies in the US about future deals regarding phased-array chips and antennas, Zhang said.

"Currently, China is using centimeter-wave frequencies bands for telecommunications. MMW frequencies provide much more bandwidth for mobile communication, and therefore provide faster communication speeds," Zhao said, adding that if a centimeter wave is a single lane, the mmW involves multiple lanes.

However, some believed that although it is an important step toward 5G development, challenges still remain.

"The mass production of mmW chips is surely an indispensable part of the popularization of 5G in China, but it's not all," Xiang Ligang, a senior industry analyst told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"To achieve 5G popularization, other elements such as coding, core networks and software management also need to be there," he said, adding that it will still take some time before the popularization of 5G.