Akoustis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKTS) (“Akoustis” or the “Company”), an integrated device manufacturer (IDM) of patented bulk acoustic wave (BAW) high-band RF filters for mobile and other wireless applications, has been awarded a design win and received a volume order for its 3.6 GHz Citizens Band Radio Service (CBRS) XBAW® filter solution for advanced network infrastructure products targeting last-mile connectivity solutions for network operators.
This is the second customer to order the Akoustis AKF-1336 3.6 GHz XBAW® filter solution for advanced CBRS network infrastructure products; the Company is actively engaged with over 10 CBRS equipment makers. This new customer plans to use the Akoustis 3.6 GHz XBAW® filters for qualification in CBRS fixed wireless equipment that is expected to ramp production in the second half of calendar 2021. The product application, which will require multiple 3.6 GHz XBAW® filters per unit, is for use in base station nodes.
Dave Aichele, EVP of Business Development of Akoustis, stated, “With the recently completed CBRS auctions, we are experiencing a high degree of interest in our leading XBAW® filter portfolio for CBRS networking equipment.” Mr. Aichele continued, “Our XBAW® filters provide the necessary interference protections for incumbent operations adjacent to the CBRS bands. We believe we are well positioned to benefit from the likely increase in demand for CBRS-related high frequency BAW filter solutions and expect additional production orders for this key 5G market going forward.”
The FCC’s CBRS spectrum auctions completed last summer have set the stage for CBRS last mile infrastructure roll-out across the United States, beginning in calendar 2021. The CBRS bands will enable new and existing carriers to provide last-mile data service and augment individual networks. In addition, CBRS will enable the delivery of campus-wide communications and create secure IoT networks.
The CBRS bands operate between 3.5 and 3.7 GHz and will provide cellular carriers and other major communications companies new and additional sub-6 GHz spectrum, which can be a key enabler for making 5G deployments possible by providing last-mile data service and improving coverage of individual unlicensed networks. Verizon, Dish Network, Comcast and Charter were the early winners, spending approximately $3.7 billion of the total $4.6 billion for public access licenses (PALs) in the recent auction.
Akoustis previously announced a 500% capacity expansion at its New York fab which is expected to be completed by this June. To support the anticipated filter demand from multiple 5G handset, infrastructure, WiFi 6E and other customers in calendar 2022 and beyond, the Company recently elected to double its manufacturing capacity once again beyond its previously stated plan by the end of calendar 2021.
Akoustis is actively delivering volume production of its WiFi 6 tandem filter solutions, shipping multiple 5G small cell XBAW® filter solutions, delivering initial designs of its new 5G mobile filter solutions to multiple customers and is now entering the market with its WiFi 6E coexistence XBAW® filter solutions.
Company management expects continued top-line growth moving forward and given the growing backlog of commercially available RF filter products and technology aimed at large and growing markets, it plans to once again significantly expand the capacity at its New York fab.
Akoustis has added 15 filters to its product catalog including a 5.6 GHz WiFi filter, a 5.2 GHz WiFi filter, a 5.5 GHz WiFi-6E filter, a 6.5 GHz WiFi 6E filter, three small cell 5G network infrastructure filters including two Band n77 filters and one Band n79 filter, a 3.8 GHz filter and five S-Band filters for defense phased-array radar applications, a 3.6 GHz filter for the CBRS 5G infrastructure market and a C-Band filter for the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) market. The Company is also developing several new filters for the sub-7 GHz bands targeting 5G mobile device, network infrastructure, WiFi CPE and defense markets.
