[sp332]

I thought 28 GHz signals would be stopped by relatively small obstacles (thin walls). It's not a matter of detection; the signal is absorbed and there is none left to detect on the other side. How could they overcome this with an antenna array?

Edit: According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ka_band this band is used for satellite communications, but it very susceptible to attenuation in rain. So it's very cool that a new antenna tech could improve on satellite downlinks, but it still doesn't seem practical for a cell phone.

[hexedpackets]

Absorption is directly correlated with frequency, yes. Their 2km mile is probably a lab condition free-space number which will never even come close to being reached in the real world, especially in urban areas.

This could be useful to a telecom if they implement an expensive design that uses obstructions to their advantage. Essentially blast the radio waves down streets as if they are isolated tunnels. That would reduce interference to almost nothing, but require many more access points than they currently have. They would also still have the problem of penetration indoors.

[r00fus]

So great theoretical speeds, but will likely fail consistenly in real-world use.

I'm going to wait until field trials in actual units are underway before becoming excited about this one.