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SkyCross has announced that its iMAT antenna solutions are now available in Long-Term Evolution (LTE) frequencies. According to the company, the iMAT technology boosts the capacity, data rates, and reliability of 4G networks to help meet and exceed the industry’s high performance expectations.

LTE requires multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). Mobile devices that support MIMO typically have multiple resonators, but space constraints and interference issues make this a difficult implementation challenge, particularly for small mobile devices such as USB dongles, handsets, and netbooks. And if MIMO isn’t implemented properly, the benefits of the multipath environment are lost.

The iMAT antennas enable a single antenna element to behave like multiple optimized antennas. This streamlines the integration process, enables sleeker designs, and lowers cost compared to traditional antennas, SkyCross says. The company also says that the iMAT antenna’s high performance ultimately improves network throughput rates.

SkyCross has proven network performance at 2.5 to 2.7 GHz, which will be the most popular LTE frequency band outside the U.S. A test in Hillsborough, Ore., showed that iMAT antennas offer up to 2.5 times faster data rates, particularly in fringe areas, compared to a conventional two-antenna approach. Other company tests showed that iMAT antennas yielded the highest throughput on average. 

The company already is mass producing its 4G antennas solutions for global WiMAX networks. More than 30 network operators worldwide have committed to deploying LTE, and some operators have LTE trials underway with preliminary launches scheduled for next year. Juniper Research expects LTE to reach 100 million subscribers by 2014.