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Sam Benzacar of Anatech Electronics, an RF and microwave filter company, has published his
December
newsletter that features his short op-ed entitled "2020: The Year that Was… ,"
in which Sam assess how he well did in predicting various key industry trends at
the end of last year. You can read his piece to see how he scored, but I do want
to note a specific point. One of Sam's predictions pertained to the availability
of broadband service in rural areas. The Wuhan Flu epidemic that caused most
schools to implement a remote classroom environment exposed how deficient the
system still is, even though we thought the issue had been pretty much resolved
(goodness knows we've spent enough tax money to address it). Also included in the newsletter are a few
pertinent industry headlines. Stand by for Sam's end-of-year predictions for
2021...
A Word from Sam Benzacar
2020: The Year that Was…
 By Sam Benzacar
By any yardstick, 2020 has been a year like no other in memory, and from a health
perspective, one that with luck will not be repeated. As has been my custom, last year
in this newsletter I attempted to predict how the RF and microwave would fare in
the coming year in several key markets. So, let's see how I did.
5G and Mid-Band Spectrum
Deployment of the fifth-generation standard continued, with T-Mobile having the
advantage of more low-and mid-band spectrum (at 600 MHz, for example) than AT&T
or Verizon. As for fixed wireless access: It's available in a few cities but is
not yet the "true cable competitor" I said it would be. By this time next year 5G
should be available more widely and every new phone will include at least some 5G
bands. Full deployment will take at least another 2 years and very low latency and
very, very high speed will take even longer.
IoT
The IoT umbrella is wide and deep and large-scale deployment is limited to those
large companies that can afford to deploy it, and they are doing so, warily. I assumed
some technological hurdles would be overcome, and some have been, although more
many more remain. As "Industry 4.0" becomes more than a name, smaller companies
will take the plunge. AI will be the technology to watch next year because it's
the key ingredient for providing actionable information to end users.
Rural Broadband
Even after billions of dollars of government incentives, broadband is still unavailable
or unaffordable for many people. This sad fact was driven home this year by the
immense number of families whose children still cannot use virtual learning for
lack of Internet access and had to use a public hotspot. The visibility of this
shortcoming gave the telecom industry and the FCC black eyes so next year should
be better, but still not enough.
Defense
I predicted, accurately, that the RF and microwave industry would benefit from
DoD's efforts to upgrade EW, radar, and signals intelligence across the board. Next
year promises more of the same as new budget provides for it, and threats from adversaries
are becoming more sophisticated.
2021 in a Nutshell
I expect next year to be lucrative for RF and microwave manufacturers because
there are arguably more commercial and defense opportunities than ever. In short,
I'm optimistic.
With that, have a great,
safe holiday from all of us at Anatech Electronics!
 FCC Slices off DSRC Spectrum for Wi-Fi
Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) that the FCC created in 1999 for “intelligent”
automotive use has been reduced from its original 75 MHz at 5.9 GHz to 45 MHz, the
rest to be used for Wi-Fi. Two factors dr0ve this decision: the reality that cellular
technology will be used instead of the original technology for cellular “vehicle
to everything” communications, and the wireless industry's desperate need for even
tiny slices of mid-band spectrum. The move essentially puts paid to the discussion
about whether DSRC or cellular would reign in the world of autonomous vehicles.
 Amazon Streams 4K Video from Satellite
Amazon passed a milestone in developing the hardware needed for its planned Project
Kuiper internet network. The company plans to launch 3,236 satellites into low Earth
orbit to provide global broadband service, competing SpaceX's Starlink network.
The team completed initial development of the antenna (shown below) that will be
housed in its "low-cost customer terminal," which will connect users to Amazon's
network. Amazon said it has been field testing the Kuiper antenna in multiple environments
including streaming 4K-quality video from a geostationary (satellite).
 Report: 58% of Base Station to Use O-RAN by 2026
Open RAN will account for 58% of total RAN spending at $32.3 billion and will
be deployed at 65% of all sites by 2026, according to the "Open RAN adoption patterns
and forecast 2020-2026" report by Rethink Technology Research. The report says Open
RAN deployments will occur rapidly, especially in small cell environments, rather
than in macro and micro-RANs.
 Dutch Panel Cautions on Millimeter-Wave 5G
An advisory panel to the Health Council of the Netherlands is recommending a
“cautious approach” to 5G radiation exposures. The committee is also advising that
the 26 GHz band not be used “for as long as the potential health risks have not
been investigated.” Because the lower frequency bands for 5G up to 3.5 GHz have
already been used for years without resulting any proven adverse health effects,
the committee sees no reason to stop or restrict their use. It recommends that the
exposure should be monitored before, during and after the rollout of the 5G systems.
This will make clear to what extent exposure to RF fields changes as a result of
the introduction of 5G and any long-term health risks can then be estimated better.
The WHO analysis can also be used in estimating the risks.
 Study: Defense Agencies to Spend $1.3 Billion
by 2025
The global market for 5G in defense, $64 million in 2020, will grow to $1.3 billion
with an annual growth rate of 57.9%, according to a new study from MarketsandMarkets,
"5G in Defense Market -- Global Forecast to 2025." Factors in the huge increase
will include higher network speeds, lower latency, and the growing adoption of autonomous
and connected devices. The airborne segment is projected to see the highest growth
during the period because of 5G technology advances, airborne applications including
unmanned aerial systems (UASs), and the increased need for mission-critical communications.
Getting Ready for 5G:
Anatech Electronics introduce New Ka band 30.5 GHz Waveguide Band Pass Filter.
Featuring a center frequency of 30.5 GHz, a bandwidth of 1000 MHz, an Insertion
Loss 1 dB Max, and a Power Handling is 20 watts.
Anatech Electronics Introduces a New Line of Suspended Stripline and
Waveguide Type RF Filters
Check out Our Filter Products
Cavity Band Pass Filters
LC Band Pass Filters Cavity Bandstop/Notch Filter
About Anatech Electronics
Anatech Electronics, Inc. (AEI) specializes in the design and manufacture of
standard and custom RF and microwave filters and other passive components and subsystems
employed in commercial, industrial, and aerospace and applications. Products are
available from an operating frequency range of 10 kHz to 30 GHz and include cavity,
ceramic, crystal, LC, and surface acoustic wave (SAW), as well as power combiners/dividers,
duplexers and diplexers, directional couplers, terminations, attenuators, circulators,
EMI filters, and lightning arrestors. The company's custom products and capabilities
are available at www.anatechelectronics.com.
Contact:
Anatech Electronics, Inc. 70 Outwater Lane Garfield, NJ 07026 (973)
772-4242
sales@anatechelectronics.com
Posted December 22, 2020
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