A circuit designer's guide to 5G mm-wave

The fourth generation mobile phone standards (4G) in widespread use include Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-A (Advanced), which support up to 44 bands internationally, or an aggregate bandwidth of about 1 GHz in TDD and FDD modes. Techniques such as carrier aggregation allow the mobile operator to maximize bandwidth and deliver high data rate to users. As demand for wireless connectivity continues to grow exponentially, a fifth generation (5G) standard is envisioned, with the requirement to deliver higher throughputs, more spectrum-particularly in the mm-wave bands-higher capacity through spatial diversity, and lower latency. The projected deployment date of 5G is in 2019, and various proposals are under consideration. This paper will highlight important implications for the design of transceivers for 5G, particularly those targeting the mm-wave bands.