At this week’s Mobile World Congress in Las Vegas, Quectel expanded its antenna portfolio, introduced a 5G-ready satellite communication module, and unveiled three short-range modules.

The antennas include the YECT005W1A and YECT004W1A ultra-wide band 5G antennas, YEMN302Q1A combo antenna series, YECT028W1A 5G and YECT003W1A 4G antennas, YFNF915F3AM and YFNF868F3AM LoRa antennas, YFBC001WWA wifi antenna, and YFGC007E3A GNSS antenna.

“We are delighted to introduce the latest additions to our antenna portfolio,” said Norbert Muhrer, president of Quectel Wireless (www.quectel.com). “We continually work to ensure that our range of antenna products complement our expansive module range and meet our customer requirements. Our antennas are optimised and pre-tested with our module portfolio, making the design, integration and testing process faster and easier for our customers.”

The YECT004W1A and YECT005W1A ultra-wide band 5G antennas provide coverage from 600 to 6000MHz while offering backwards compatibility to support 4G, 3G and 2G networks, as well as LTE Cat M and NB-IoT. Each antenna is terminated with an SMA male connector and is for applications requiring discreet installation. Both antennas measure 135 by 15.6 by 13mm, while the YECT004W1A is an IP67-rated product.

The YEMN302Q1A combo antenna can integrate various antennas, including 5G, 4G, GNSS and wifi antennas. They can be mounted on device surfaces using screws, adhesive or other methods, and support multiple connector types and cable lengths.

The YECT028W1A external 5G antenna covers 5G NR sub-6GHz frequency bands and is compatible with 4G, 3G, 2G and LPWA bands. The YECT003W1A external 4G antenna covers main 4G LTE bands and is compatible with 3G, 2G and LPWA bands.

The YFNF915F3AM and YFNF868F3AM LoRa antennas are compatible with Quectel’s ISM range, making them suitable for smart metering, remote monitoring and telematics applications.

The YFBC001WWA is a compact, SMT mountable ceramic chip IoT antenna for wifi applications. Measuring 1.6 by 0.8 by 0.4mm, it is for devices with limited space, such as wifi, WLAN, BT, Zigbee and 802.11 terminals.

The YFGC007E3A GNSS antenna has a PCB and ceramic buckle mount design. Optimised for GNSS L1 and L5 frequencies, it measures 50 by 50 by 14.5mm and operates within the 1164-1189MHz and 1559-1606MHz bands.

At the show, the company also introduced the BG770A-SN compact 5G-ready satellite communication module. Compliant with 3GPP releases 13, 14 and 17, the module supports the LTE NB1 and NB2 bands as well as NTN over NB-IoT.

For transportation, energy, maritime, heavy industry and agricultural applications, the module is dual mode, supporting NTN and TN and featuring GNSS for positioning functionality. The module also supports iSIM.

“We’re delighted to unveil the Quectel BG770A-SN ultra-compact 5G-ready satellite communication module,” said Muhrer. “This module meets the needs of size-constrained, global use cases that demand the comprehensive coverage that satellite connectivity provides. Combining those attributes with low power consumption and robust security makes the module applicable to a wide range of use cases from PoS to trackers and wearables.”

The YECN028AA is a dedicated antenna developed for the BG770A-SN and is an external 5G and NTN antenna that covers 5G NR sub-6GHz frequency bands, compatible with 4G, 3G, 2G, LPWA and NTN bands.

Three short-range modules were added to Quectel’s portfolio. The modules are the FC30R industrial-grade wifi module, FCU743R Wifi 4 and Bluetooth 5.2 unit, and FCM740D MCU with Wifi 4 and Bluetooth 5.2. These modules help users bring IoT devices to market more cost-effectively and with faster time to market.

“We’re constantly striving to provide our customers with the strongest possible portfolio across the Quectel product range,” said Muhrer. “The inclusion of these modules expands the range of options in our short-range portfolio for customers’ IoT applications, empowering them to innovate in their IoT device designs and accelerate their time to market.”

Finally, two MCU Bluetooth modules, the HCM511S and HCM010S, are available in additional variants with stronger transmit power and additional antenna options.