Hercules takes off in markets with a need for speed

At the recent European Microwave Week, Filtronic launched the Hercules II, which combines the Morpheus II transceiver and either a Cerus 4 or 8 SSPA module. This new product design is targeted at long-range, high-capacity private networks, that demand speed, performance, and versatility. The Hercules II boosts the available transmit power and provides an option to incorporate an ultra-low noise LNA to further optimise link budget, ensuring extended reach and enhanced coverage.

The emergence of long-haul private networks using E-band is becoming an exciting opportunity for Filtronic. For 5G and beyond, the E-band spectrum (70/80GHz) is essential, in addition to offering fibre-like capacities, it can be rolled out quickly and efficiently. With E-band acting like fibre ‘in the sky’, it raises the possibility of ultra-fast, long-range hops as an enterprise solution for large private networks, and with the Hercules II, our customers can access the highest power E-band transceiver module on the market.

The contracts valued circa £0.3m are for the supply of initial trial units, for which follow-on business is anticipated in 2024, as part of existing network upgrades.

"These new opportunities mark the next stage of our growth in this exciting market," said Dan Rhodes, Business Development Director at Filtronic. "The Hercules II enables our customers to access up to +36dBm transmit power, providing them with a reliable and sturdy connection, even over long distances. This makes it the preferred solution for demanding applications that require significant power reserves."