In anticipation of major WiMAX roll-outs around the globe, OMRON Corporation (TSE: 6645, US: OMRNY; 'OMRON') has announced the introduction of a new, global WiMAX band polymer antenna, the HAWK-WMX, for laptops, notebooks, tablet and ultra-mobile PCs. Significantly smaller than competing products, the HAWK-WMX fits under the lid of notebook PCs, enabling computer manufacturers to design smaller and lighter models for highly mobile users.

The HAWK-WMX, which employs the high dielectric polymer material and precision molding technology used in OMRON's award-winning UWB antenna range, measures just 30 mm x 6.6 mm but can deliver uniform RF performance across three global WiMAX bands (2.3-2.8 GHz, 3.3-3.8 GHz and 5.25-5.85 GHz). The HAWK-WMX is WiMAX MIMOi compliant, and with its global band attributes can also be used as a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) MIMO antenna.

"As society becomes increasingly mobile, consumers are demanding devices that offer global connectivity in ever smaller and lighter formats," said Masaharu Tsujimoto of OMRON's Advanced Components Division. "WiMAX offers a powerful next-generation solution for providing wireless mobility, but the frequencies on which WiMAX services are offered differ from country to country and sometimes region to region. Meanwhile, computer OEMs and ODMs are already supporting multiple wireless protocols such as 3G, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi and UWB, each of which usually requires a separate antenna. With mounting space at a premium, there is a clear need for ultra-small antennas that will enable products to function in any region with consistently high performance. The HAWK-WMX delivers a small footprint without compromising performance and can replace five notebook antennas for WiMAX and Wi-Fi with three smaller ones."

OMRON Introduces World's First Global WiMAX Antenna for Notebook Computers