Using adjacent phone antennas could improve data transfer

The process, studied in a recent project by the university’s Centre for Communications Research (CCR), could help bypass the difficulties of fitting multiple antennas into one small device in order to speed up data transfer.

This could also be useful if a device is in an area of poor phone signal and help tackle the problem of antenna detuning that can occur when holding a device, as encountered by users of the iPhone 4.

You’re making the whole communications process much more efficient, using much less channel resource

Prof Mark Beach

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, which uses several antennas to transmit and receive data, is increasingly being used in devices that need a high-speed connection.

The Bristol team studied the idea of creating a ‘virtual MIMO’ system, with two devices linked by a short-range wireless connection, by examining data from a smartphone, laptop and bicycle-helmet-mounted antenna.

‘The concept of virtual MIMO has been around for a little while,’ project leader Prof Mark Beach told The Engineer. ‘We wanted to understand the impact of different form factors [devices] when you’re moving.’