TOKYO: A team of researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. have developed a small wireless communication device that can be used for advanced networks that go beyond 5G.

The device is for communications using terahertz waves, which are in a higher frequency band than millimeter waves used for 5G networks, the team said. The next-generation network is expected to be about 10 times faster than 5G.

The new device uses a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor, or CMOS, which is cheap and can be mass-produced. The development is expected to be a stepping stone to put the next-generation network into practical use.

The distance an antenna is capable of transmitting data becomes shorter for communications in a higher frequency belt. The next-generation network requires a device with a phased array of multiple antennas and a transmitter-receiver circuit to extend the distance.

The team downsized the circuit to 1.7 millimeters by 2.45 millimeters and created a four-layered phased array. In a test using a prototype, the device was able to communicate at a speed about five times faster than 5G, according to the team.

JIJI Press