Like all technologies, 5G needs more that just the “glamor” components such as baseband ICs, RFICs, and phased-array antennas. Interconnects can make or break a design, and 5G is no exception. So, besides giving birth to active devices, 5G has also spawned a need for connectors. To that end, TE Connectivity has developed the ERFV series of compressible RF connectors.

Consisting of board-to-board, board-to-filter (screw type), board-to-filter (push-in type), and test adapters, the ERFV series are compressible, meaning that they can, for example, make contact directly with pads on a PCB. No connector is needed on the board where the ERFV makes contact. Frequency range is DC to 10 GHz, providing plenty of rage to cover 5G frequencies in the FR1 low-band and mid-band, up to 6 GHz. In the video below, TE’s Nathan Tracy explains how the ERFV series works.

In addition to the compressible connectors, TE exhibited other products for 5G/RF/wireless. To the right, we see a 2.4 GHz PCB antenna. While certainly within 5G’s FR1 band, this antenna is specifically designed for the Wi-Fi unlicensed 2.4 GHz band.

While 5G is all the rage, LTE will be around for years and engineers are still developing products that connect to it. The terminal and PCB antennas shown at left attest to that. The terminal antenna applications include Bluetooth, CDMA 1900, CDMA 850, DECT EU, GSM, GSM 1800, GSM 900, ISM, LTE, Wi-Fi, and ZigBee.