CommScope’s Mosaic speeds 5G deployments

Operators are under pressure to maximize their investments and roll out spectrum as new frequency bands become available. To address this sense of urgency, CommScope is excited to announce and introduce Mosaic, a new active-passive antenna platform designed to assist operators in simplifying and accelerating 5G-related tower deployments.

Mosaic’s radio-agnostic modular hardware design assists mobile network operators in expanding 5G coverage while supporting legacy 4G deployments that still have profitable years ahead of them. Adding 5G capabilities frequently necessitates the installation of new tower-top equipment, such as Active Antenna Systems (AAS) that support massive MIMO capabilities. The CommScope Mosaic platform enables operators to combine active and passive antenna capabilities in a way that simplifies tower top complexity, reduces occupied tower top space, and reduces wind loading while preserving all technologies’ performance.

“Operators are globally estimated to spend approximately $1 trillion (2019 – 2025) in network deployment CAPEX as they capture emerging growth in 5G. The clever engineering behind Mosaic offers a pragmatic way to add both capacity and capability while maximizing previous spectrum and 4G cell site investments,” said Farid Firouzbakht, SVP and segment president, Outdoor Wireless Networks, CommScope. “CommScope is removing a significant 5G deployment challenge so operators can prioritize ways to monetize their networks with superfast 5G connectivity.”

Previously, multiple technologies and generations at a single site could cause interference and negatively impact network performance. The compact design of Mosaic overcomes this challenge by allowing legacy 4G infrastructure to coexist with 5G active antennas.

Mosaic reduces the required footprint at the top of the tower by using advanced technology and modular design practices to mount massive MIMO AAS equipment on the back of a conventional passive antenna. The passive antenna module’s variety of available port counts and lengths makes upgrading to 5G mMIMO while supporting all legacy sub-6 GHz bands simple.

Consumers will continue to invest in 5G smartphones as carriers expand 5G coverage across their networks. Aside from faster mobile speeds, the industry will test new use cases for self-driving cars, personalized fan experiences, 5G connected collars on farms, remote-controlled ultrasound scans, remote surgeries, and many other applications. Densification and engineering innovation will be required for the spectrum used for these new services. Mosaic is intended to assist operators in accelerating this adoption while also supporting their existing 4G networks.