Why Plastic-Packaged MMIC PAs May be Essential for 5G MIMO Base Stations (.PDF Download)

The introduction of 5G networks will bring higher mobile data rates to more users at once than has previously been possible. Finding the bandwidth to make this a reality will require the industry to meet a number of technical challenges.

Operators will need to move to carrier frequencies above 2.7 GHz to access more spectrum. Multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antenna arrays will be utilized in 5G networks to deliver high data rates to multiple users in dense urban areas. The data rates promised by 5G will also require large instantaneous-signal bandwidths (more than 200 MHz) and the use of more complex modulation schemes.