In Ben-Gurion, they are developing a "smart antenna" for "fourth generation" and broadband communication (WiMAX)

The antennas are adaptive, that is, they can adjust the directions of their beams to improve the quality of reception, using the electrical polarization feature of the electromagnetic waves

"Smart antennas" developed at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in collaboration with the start-up company Santenna, may optimize the rate of information transfer, improve spatial coverage and reduce the amount of interference in transmission and reception. The innovative antennas will also be smaller, and the high transmission quality will allow the reduction of the amount of antennas transmitting in an urban environment - a result that has a positive effect on the environment and public health.

The new technology is called MIMO - SPDMA (Multiple Input - Multiple Output Space Polarization Division Multiple Access). The researchers, Prof. Reuven Shavit and Dr. Joseph Tabrikian from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Rahim Dayan from Santenna, in collaboration with the university's commercialization company, BG Negev Technologies Ltd., developed an array of adaptive MIMO antennas (antennas that can adjust the direction of their beams to improve the quality of reception), using the electrical polarization feature of the electromagnetic waves. The use of waves with different polarization angles allows the antenna to make better use of the frequencies assigned to it and significantly increase the channel capacity.

This allows the smart antenna to transmit and receive more data at a higher speed, increase the coverage area of ​​each antenna (thus reducing the need for many antennas) and above all improve the quality of reception. By analyzing the properties of the wave, the system detects electromagnetic interference and deletes them to get a signal free of "noises". The development of the system included writing sophisticated algorithms, capable of analyzing the signals and activating the smart antenna according to the information received.

The new technology is expected to be widely used in two key areas of the industry: in the field of WiMAX (broadband wireless data communication) and in the fourth generation of cellular communication. At this stage, a prototype of the system was built, and comprehensive tests were carried out with the help of computer simulations. Later, a demonstration system will be built that will include a stationary base station and several mobile stations that will demonstrate the advantages of the technology.