Challenges on multi-radio antenna system for mobile devices

Many wireless industries and research institutes are working on development of multi- radio antenna systems in space-limited mobile devices. The mobile device can be laptop, UMPC (ultra mobile PC), PDA, or cellular phone. In the near future mobile devices will require multiple antennas to support communications using multiple wireless protocols. These include but are not limited to WiFi, WiMAX, WW AN (Cellular), Digital TV, UWB (Ultra-Wideband), BT (Blue Tooth), and GPS. Depending on the usage model some of combinations of these radios can require simultaneous operation in the same device or in close proximity to other devices. Antenna system development is one of the major challenges because there are multiple radios, multiple frequency bands and little space. A holistic approach to the design of the antenna system should be considered to provide the optimum solution for the mobile devices.