DOCOMO Conducts World's First Trial of Transmissive Metasurface on Window to Deliver Indoor Radio Waves to Outdoor Foot of Building
TOKYO, Jan 30, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today that it has succeeded in what it believes to be the world's first trial of redirecting millimeter-band (28 GHz) radio waves coming from inside a building to the foot of the building outdoors by bending the radio waves with a film-shaped transmissive metasurface(1) attached to a window surface. The trial was conducted from October to November 2022 at the DOCOMO R&D Center in Yokosuka, Japan, aiming at realization of advanced fifth-generation (5G Evolution) and sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication systems.
High-frequency radio waves, which are expected to be used in 5G Evolution and 6G, have difficulty coming around behind obstacles and are easily attenuated as propagation distances increase. DOCOMO has also been studying the use of metasurface technology to enhance radio signal reception indoors using outdoor base station(2), and to improve indoor with many obstructions as a user moves(3).
Radio waves in the high-frequency band have difficulty reaching places that are not in the line of sight of the transmitting base station installed on the rooftop of buildings, making it difficult to create reception areas at the foot of buildings. One of the solutions is to install antennas on a neighboring structural object, but there are cases where such installation is not possible due to landscape and other issues. This trial was conducted in order to expand the area coverage around the foot of a building.
The transmissive metasurface for the 28 GHz band used in the trial is a metasurface designed and processed to bend millimeter wave bands passing through a glass window in a specific direction, in this trial, towards the bottom of a building's exterior(4). The film-shaped material was attached to the window glass on the interior side, making it easier to install, and its transparency did not spoil the landscape and existing design. In addition, the transmissive metasurface is designed not to affect other frequency bands such as LTE and Sub-6 bands.
Millimeter waves from a base station installed indoor passed through transmissive metasurfaces on the window glass and throughput performance in the foot area of the building was measured. We confirmed that the throughput performance in the foot area was greatly improved by bending the millimeter waves with the transmissive metasurfaces.
DOCOMO is also researching and developing various technologies to improve indoor and outdoor coverage in the high frequency bands. For example, it may be possible to direct signals from Multi-Sector Antenna Indoor Base Station, as announced by DOCOMO on January 30(5), to the transmissive metasurface attached to a glass window to improve both indoor and outdoor area coverage. Also, in the future, when constructing a massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system that uses much larger number of antennas, it may be possible to achieve an equivalently large-scale configuration with a relatively small number of antennas at a low cost by applying metasurface technology(6).
Going forward, DOCOMO will continue to research and develop efficient and flexible construction of reception areas and radio configurations for 5G Evolution and 6G.
The transmissive metasurface used in the trial will be exhibited at "docomo Open House '23," which will be held online from Thursday, February 2.
(1) Metasurfaces are a type of artificial medium (metamaterial) that achieve arbitrary permittivity and permeability by periodically arranging structures that are small in relation to wavelength, and are artificial surfaces in which the periodic arrangement of structures is two-dimensional. (2) "DOCOMO and AGC Use Metasurface Lens to Enhance Radio Signal Reception Indoors" (January 26, 2021) www.docomo.ne.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2021/0126_00.html (3) "NTT and NTT DOCOMO Trial First Use of User-tracking Metasurface Reflector for Extreme Mobile Coverage in Current 5G and Coming 6G Era" (November 12, 2021) www.docomo.ne.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2021/1112_00.html (4) The transmissive metasurfaces were designed and provided based on the cooperation of AGC Inc. (5) "Small, Efficient 5G Multisector Antenna Indoor Base Station Achieves World's First Demonstration using 28GHz" (January 30, 2023) www.docomo.ne.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2023/0130_01.html (6) "5G Evolution and 6G (5.0 version)," NTT DOCOMO (November 2022) bit.ly/3HDP8E6 (Japanese only)
About NTT DOCOMO
NTT DOCOMO, Japan's leading mobile operator with over 85 million subscriptions, is one of the world's foremost contributors to 3G, 4G and 5G mobile network technologies. Beyond core communications services, DOCOMO is challenging new frontiers in collaboration with a growing number of entities ("+d" partners), creating exciting and convenient value-added services that change the way people live and work. Under a medium-term plan toward 2020 and beyond, DOCOMO is pioneering a leading-edge 5G network to facilitate innovative services that will amaze and inspire customers beyond their expectations. https://www.docomo.ne.jp/english/.
Source: NTT DOCOMO Sectors: Telecoms, 5G, Wireless, Apps
Copyright ©2025 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Japan Corporate News Network.
|
Latest Release
 Mitsubishi Motors to Launch an All-New BEV Based on Nissan's Next-Generation LEAF in North America in the Second Half of 2026 May 08, 2025 11:25 JST
|  Mitsubishi Motors and Foxtron Sign MOU for OEM Supply of EV May 08, 2025 11:08 JST
|  Everest Medicines Announces NMPA Full Approval of NEFECON, Broadening Treatment Access for IgA Nephropathy Patients in China May 07, 2025 19:06 JST
|  Anime Tokyo Station: Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- Special Exhibition May 03, 2025 03:00 JST
|  TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Set for Spa spectacle May 02, 2025 19:29 JST
|  FWD Group reports exceptionally strong first quarter new business update May 02, 2025 17:00 JST
|  Toyota Mobility Foundation, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, UN-Habitat, Asian Institute of Technology and Toyota Motor Thailand Sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) to Launch the TRUST Project for Road Safety in Thailand May 01, 2025 17:48 JST
|  Katalon Officially Launches TrueTest(TM) - The First AI-Native Testing System That Thinks Like a Tester and Learns from Users Apr 30, 2025 17:20 JST
|  Eisai Representative Corporate Officer and CEO Haruo Naito Awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star Apr 30, 2025 14:17 JST
|  Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Holds Christening and Launch Ceremony of Large Car Ferry KEYAKI in Shimonoseki Apr 29, 2025 17:24 JST
|  NEC DGDF Headquarters relocates to Zurich to accelerate growth and enhance management globally Apr 28, 2025 16:03 JST
| NEC achieves Japan's longest terrestrial wireless optical communication over 10 km Apr 25, 2025 17:50 JST
|  Olympus Appoints New CEO Apr 25, 2025 15:30 JST
|  DENSO Announces Year-End Financial Results Apr 25, 2025 12:17 JST
|  DENSO and DELPHY Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Develop Data-Driven Smart Horticulture Apr 24, 2025 18:43 JST
|  MyJCB App Wins "iF DESIGN AWARD 2025" Apr 24, 2025 17:00 JST
|  Fujitsu launches new company 1FINITY to strengthen network products business
Apr 24, 2025 16:24 JST
|  MHIEC Completes Renovation of Core Facilities for Arita Municipal Recycle Plaza in Saga Prefecture Apr 24, 2025 15:01 JST
|  NEC invests in U.S.-based "Geodesic Alliance Fund" aiming to strengthen economic security business Apr 24, 2025 10:23 JST
|  MHI Thermal Systems Wins German Red Dot Design Award 2025 Apr 24, 2025 10:11 JST
|
More Latest Release >>
|