Proven passive antenna innovations
Passive antennas are foundational to network evolution. They define spectrum efficiency, coverage reach, and the energy per transported bit—directly influencing upgrade flexibility, site design, and total cost of ownership.
Explore our latest antenna benchmarks and research. Each report provides transparent, data‑driven insight into how our passive portfolio advances network performance, sustainability, and structural efficiency.
Available reports
Live benchmarks – Real‑network validation of antenna performance, coverage, energy use, and TCO. See how optimized beam behavior and reduced wind load deliver measurable site and energy gains.
Technology papers – Deep‑dive analyses on the drivers of real‑world performance and long‑term cost. Topics include:
-
Performance & Coverage – SINR, throughput, and cell‑edge efficiency in 4G and 5G networks.
-
Energy Efficiency & Sustainability – Lower energy per bit through optimized RF patterns and interference control.
-
Wind Load & Structural Impact – Reduced tower stress and reinforcement needs to improve structural TCO.
-
TCO & Site Evolution – How antenna choices shape cost, flexibility, and spectrum deployment.
-
Testing & Quality – Proven performance through rigorous lab and field validation.
Download options
-
Live benchmark reports: Performance, coverage, energy, TCO
-
Technology paper series: Efficiency, beam behavior, structural impact
New studies are added regularly as field results and operator collaborations evolve.
Frequent questions about antenna performance
Why are antenna decisions now a strategic business decision for 5G operators?
In 5G Standalone, antenna systems directly influence coverage, SINR, capacity, latency, and throughput, and they play a central role in SLA delivery, QoS differentiation, and carrier aggregation performance.
Ericsson’s benchmark and field-trial materials show that stronger antenna performance can translate into more than four times better coverage, double peak data rates, up to 35% lower device battery consumption, and up to 29% power reduction in evaluated scenarios.
What business results has Ericsson already demonstrated in live networks?
A sizeable operator carried out a structured multi-vendor benchmark in real-life conditions over five months, using drive tests and monitored KPIs to compare antenna performance at different power settings.
That study reports Ericsson ahead on efficiency and user performance, including 7.5% higher MB/kWh efficiency, 12% better downlink user throughput, 57% better uplink user throughput, and additional TCO benefits linked to quality, installation simplicity, wind-load reductions, and supply-chain reliability.
How can better antenna performance accelerate the value of 5G Standalone?
Ericsson’s 5G SA paper shows that high-performing passive multiband antennas complement massive MIMO by strengthening low-band coverage, adding mid-band capacity, and enabling more effective low-/mid-band carrier aggregation for differentiated services.
In system-level simulations, the higher beam-efficiency antenna delivered 7.4% higher average downlink cell throughput and 35.9% higher average uplink cell throughput, and under advanced carrier aggregation it achieved 6.5% higher peak downlink and 5.2% higher peak uplink throughput.
Why is Ericsson’s approach stronger than a standard datasheet comparison?
Ericsson’s materials show that antennas with the same spectrum and peak gain can still produce very different network outcomes, because real-world performance depends on beam efficiency, radiation efficiency, PIM behavior, multiband pattern alignment, and how precisely energy is directed into the intended cell area.
That is why Ericsson positions antenna value around network-level outcomes such as coverage, spectral efficiency, uplink strength, and user experience rather than isolated component metrics alone.
How does Ericsson combine performance leadership with lower deployment risk?
Ericsson’s wind-load paper highlights dynamic wind-load verification, thermoplastic radome technology, reduced weight, improved RF transparency, and a more sustainable antenna lifecycle designed to improve reliability in real deployment conditions.
The benchmark content also points to additional TCO upside from lower wind load, installation simplicity, product quality, and supply-chain reliability.