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2019/08/21
Akoustis Announces Follow-On Order from a Tier-1 Wireless Telecommunications Customer to Develop Two Additional 5G Mobile BAW Filters
- Additional Order Comes After Company’s Shipment of Initial 5G Mobile Filter in June
- Delivery of New Sub-6 GHz Ultra-High Band Mobile Filters Expected by the December Quarter
Akoustis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKTS) (“Akoustis” or the “Company”), an integrated device manufacturer (IDM) of patented bulk acoustic wave (BAW) high-band RF filters for mobile and other wireless applications, announced today a follow-on purchase order from a multi-billion dollar, tier-1 wireless telecommunications customer to develop two additional, sub-6 GHz coexistence BAW RF filters for 5G mobile devices. This order follows the successful design and prototype shipment of its first 5G mobile BAW filter solution in the June quarter to the same customer.
Under the new purchase order, Akoustis will develop two new sub-6 GHz XBAW filters with expected delivery by the end of December 2019. The final filter solutions will utilize a micro package form factor that is ideal for use in mobile handsets. The new 5G filters will operate in ultra-high band (UHB) sub-6 GHz spectrum where Akoustis is a leader in coexistence BAW filter solutions above 3 GHz.
Jeff Shealy, Founder and CEO of Akoustis, stated, “This is a significant validation of our XBAW™ filter technology as this follow-on order came after our tier-1 mobile customer had the opportunity to evaluate our first 5G mobile filter samples that were ordered and shipped in the June quarter. The two new filters will utilize our standard XBAW filter technology and operate at frequencies within the 3-6 GHz range where we have demonstrated early expertise.” Mr. Shealy continued, “While we remain focused on monetizing our recently completed tandem 5.2 GHz / 5.6 GHz WiFi filter solution as well as our emerging 5G network infrastructure filter solutions, we continue to grow customer relationships that we anticipate will drive our unique and patented XBAW™ technology into 5G mobile devices.”
As the sub-6 GHz 5G new radio (NR) UHB spectrum resides above 3 GHz, future filter solutions will be needed to resolve co-existence issues in 5G mobile handsets. Akoustis has already developed commercial filter products at 3.8 GHz, 5.2 GHz and 5.6 GHz, proving that it can produce BAW RF filters at the higher frequencies associated with sub-6 GHz 5G spectrum. As a result, the Company continues discussions with multiple large mobile communications companies seeking access to high frequency co-existence filter technology.
In addition to the 5G mobile filter opportunity, Akoustis has also developed BAW filter solutions for multiple wireless markets including WiFi, 4G/5G infrastructure and defense. Mobile represents the largest potential market for the Company by both volume and revenue, with approximately 1.5 billion smartphones shipped in 2018 according to a February 2019 Gartner report.
The new 5G filters will be designed and manufactured using the Company’s patented XBAW process and manufactured in the Company’s Si-MEMS Wafer Fab located in Canandaigua, NY.
Akoustis has introduced several new filters over the past twelve months including a 5.6 GHz WiFi filter, a 5.2 GHz WiFi filter, a 3.8 GHz filter for defense phased-array radar applications, a 3.6 GHz filter for the CBRS infrastructure market and Band 25 downlink and uplink filters for LTE infrastructure. The Company is also developing several new filters for the sub-7 GHz bands targeting 5G mobile device, network infrastructure, WiFi CPE and defense markets. (Source: Akoustis website)
