AGC Inc. (AGC), a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals, and high-tech materials, has developed a transparent antenna for Fixed Wireless Access - Customer Premises Equipment (FWA-CPE) that can be installed on indoor window glass for the improvement of indoor communication areas in the 5G millimeter wave (28GHz) band. AGC will continue to optimize performance and confirm the reliability, aiming to commercialize the antenna in 2024.
High-frequency radio waves, such as 5G millimeter waves, can receive and transmit large amounts of data at high speeds, but their high linearity and attenuation make it difficult for them to reach indoor areas. This hampers the creation of communication areas inside buildings using outdoor base stations. One proposed solution has been to install FWA-CPE with a built-in antenna directly on the window glass, but this compromises the landscape and causes the risk of "thermal breakage," where the heat generated by the product causes the window glass to break, especially in colder climates area.
AGC has now developed a transparent antenna for FWA-CPE for 5G millimeter wave by combining its ultra-low-loss glass substrate and ALCAN Systems' liquid crystal phased array antenna*1. The new design separates the FWA-CPE from the antenna module and mounts the transparent antenna on the window glass, enabling the indoor Wi-Fi area to be created while maintaining a high level of lighting without compromising the landscape. Furthermore, the design reduces the heat generated by the antenna module, lowering the risk of thermal breakage of the window glass.
Under its AGC plus-2023 medium-term management plan, the AGC Group has positioned Mobility and Electronics as strategic businesses. In particular, AGC views the practical application of 5G as a business opportunity and will continue to develop and propose products that contribute to the development of next-generation high-speed communications.
