Solutions
Radios that can “talk” and “listen” at the same time on the
same or adjacent channels, defying self-interference
Kumu Networks offers technology and reference designs that enable innovative solutions to intelligently enhance coverage and boost capacity.
Wireless Infrastructure
5G Interference Cancelling Smart Repeaters for sub-6GHz
Coverage is an important challenge that both 5G Mobile Operator and 5G Private Networks are trying to address. Kumu’s K7 Interference Cancelling Module enables high gain Smart Repeaters that increase isolation between the Access and Backhaul side of a repeater by more than 3 orders of magnitude (>30dB) such that outdoor repeaters can be deployed easily on a single pole. Since Access-Backhaul isolation is enhanced using our Self-Interference Cancellation technology, the repeater allows for higher gain thus increasing coverage extension and allowing for multi-hop topology without wasting additional spectrum and using a 2nd channel for access. Finally, smart repeaters can be managed and configured easily as a network element using secure, ease to use API’s. Check out Kumu’s KR9 Smart Repeater reference design that uses our K7 module.
KU1040x Camelot RFIC
Transmit antenna elements in MIMO 5G Radio Units (RU)’s can inject noise into RU receive chains particularly in the case of 3GPP Release 18 RU’s that comply with the Sub-band Full Duplex / XDD feature. This interference can result in up to 10dB of performance loss. Kumu’s chip scale implementation of the Camelot family of RFIC’s helps eliminate this interference.
K6 Canceller Module
Traditionally, co-located radios require sufficient guard between them so RF filters can be used to avoid one radios’ transmit from interfering with all other receivers. Kumu’s K6 Canceller Module eliminates this limitation. By using a K6 module at the front end of co-located radios, such radios can operate even with zero guard band in between. This allows for unprecedented densification and spectrum utilization in every RF environment. The K6 Canceller has built-in real-time tuning that adapts to the constantly changing reflection environment to ensure consistent isolation between radios.
KU-DEV-CORE-18-2 Canceller Module
The KU-DEV-CORE-18-2 is Kumu’s highest performance and most mature & field tested Cancellation Module product. It consists of an Analog Canceller and Digital Canceller in a single module. The KU-DEV-CORE-18-2 can front end radios to suppress self-interference from transmitters by >80dB in Full Duplex mode (same-channel transmit and receive). It is currently available in the LTE 1800MHz band (Band2 and Band3) and is commercially deployed in volume in Kumu’s in-band Full Duplex Relay nodes, in addition to being available as a standalone cancellation module.
5G High-gain mmWave Repeater
Amplify and Forward repeaters are a simple and widely-used solution for enhancing coverage. However, repeaters are only as good as the antenna isolation between donor and access sides – this limits their gain. As a result, typical high-gain repeaters require long cables and complicated installations to place the donor antenna as far as possible from the access antenna. Kumu Networks’ Self-Interference Cancellation technology adds electronic isolation to the physical isolation between the antennas. Thus, a Kumu-powered repeater can achieve extreme high-gain, even when the antennas are right next to each other. This is critical for 5G mmWave coverage due to the limited propagation of these signals.
In-Band Full-Duplex LTE Relay Node
Full-Duplex Relays leverage Kumu Networks’ patented Self-Interference-Cancellation technology to provide a flexible, easy to deploy, low-cost way for operators to increase LTE capacity and coverage. The solution is an adjunct to any 3rd party small cell. It uses a standard UE to backhaul the small cell’s eNB on the exact same frequency channel of the eNB. Unlike traditional backhauling solutions that use completely different technology and/or frequency for the backhaul, the in-band full-duplex relay utilizes the exact same set of LTE frequencies for both the access and backhaul.
WiFi
2.4GHz co-existence of WiFi and Bluetooth/BLE/IoT
Pretty much every WiFi Access Point is equipped with two radios competing for resources in the overly crowded2.4GHz band. These radios interfere with each other. WiFi throughput has to be reduced significantly when a Bluetooth speaker is used, or when IoT devices are monitored. With Kumu Networks’ Self-Interference Cancellation technology, no tradeoffs are required. The two 2.4GHz radios can operate independently without negatively affecting each other.
5GHz/6GHz WiFi mesh solution
Whole-home WiFi systems are now ubiquitous. These systems leverage ad-hoc mesh architecture between WiFi access points distributed throughout the house. With the opening of the 6GHz spectrum for unlicensed use most WiFi APs will likely include both 5GHz and 6GHz radios. One of the challenges is that the 5GHz U-NII-3 band where WiFi is currently deployed extensively will have only a small guard band separating it from the new 6GHz band. This guard-band, known as U-NII-4, is also currently being considered by the FCC for unlicensed use. To take full advantage of the new 6GHz band and concurrently operate multiple radios in this continuous spectrum band, self-interference cancellation is required.
Published with permission of Microwave Journal