NTT DOCOMO Ventures has made an equity investment in Metawave, a start-up based in Palo Alto, California that is developing an analog beamsteering radar platform and 5G platforms which consist of active repeater and passive relay technologies. Financial terms were not disclosed.
DENSO, the world’s second-largest mobility supplier, led the funding round, and other investors included Mirae Asset Capital, and existing investors including BOLD Capital Partners.
Metawave is working on the extension of 5G radio coverage beyond line of sight from cell towers. 5G utilizes millimeter waves (mmWave) with higher frequencies and shorter wavelengths, which require innovative and advanced analog antenna technology to expand the radio coverage. Metawave’s passive relays are beautifully designed “smart mirrors” that bend and direct signals in areas of lower coverage.
NTT DOCOMO successfully conducted a 5G trial using 28GHz trial site and the passive relays utilizing Meta-structure antenna technologies in November 2018 .
As for the radar platform, Metawave is mainly focusing on the automobile industry.
“To be able to work on innovative hardware, system, software, and AI platforms in such high-growth markets is exciting and challenging,” said Maha Achour, founder and CEO of Metawave. “When I see our automotive partners excited about our radar capabilities and telecom customers demonstrating impressive results using our 5G solutions, I’m inspired and proud to lead a fearless team who has been delivering incredible results in less than 18 months from opening our development center in Carlsbad. Consumer expectations and business demands are increasing with the advent of new technologies, especially in mobility and connectivity, and being able to work closely with 5G and automotive leaders helps us visualize the future and continuously adapt as roads become safer and people strive to be more productive.”
