Tier AEU

Microelectronic – Front-End Module (FEM)

European Commission — Horizon Europe

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About this opportunity

Expected Outcome: The targeted outcomes reflect the above challenges and cover a comprehensive Front End module design which: Covers the FR3 range as defined by the relevant Agenda Item of WRC 27 (7 to 15 GHz range) with possible extension up to 24 GHz if required by some regional implementations, with inherent tuning capabilities to accommodate potential regional variations. Mitigates interferences with incumbent FR3 band users and maximises sharing capabilities across the band in line with the European regulatory approach on spectrum sharing. Enables integration of a large number of antenna elements beyond the State of the Art and support massive MIMO implementation with compensation of increased path loss compared to 5G FR1 implementations. Enables at least an order-of-magnitude increase in RF processing compared to 5G FR1 implementations. Enables 5G cell site reuse and minimises deployment complexity on top of 5G sites deployment. Enables low-cost and low energy implementation of the elementary constituent modules, efficient packaging and is mainly based on the integration of microelectronics heterogeneous technologies where European industry has strong expertise and know-how. Addresses new 6G requirements for greater uplink capacity as required by new classes of traffic/use cases. Enables concurrent and efficient implementation of Sub Band Full Duplex (SBFD) and Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC), whilst minimising the waveform differences between the communication and the sensing function, with maximisation of common functional blocks as appropriate. Addresses ITU requirements for IMT 2030 especially for what concerns increased carrier rate, user rate and latency. Enables support of both cellular (FR1-like) and FWA (FR2-like) use case scenarios. It is based on a strong and lasting cooperation between European lead suppliers of telecom systems and technologies and lead suppliers of European microelectronics systems and technologies, in view of stimulating a telecom components ecosystem in Europe and to clearly increase European sovereignty in the domain. Is supported by advanced higher TRL design tools, e.g. EDA, PDK. Establishes a clear pathway towards downstream industrialisation in Europe and use of the relevant pilot lines from the Chips JU as a function of the eventual technology selection for implementation (to be covered in the Chips JU call) Contribute to the Apply AI Strategy policy of the Union Objective: Please refer to the "Specific Challenges and Objectives" section for Stream B-02 in the Work Programme, available under ‘Topic Conditions and Documents - Additional Documents’. Scope: The scope of this topic focuses on the following areas: A FEM design that covers the FR3 frequency range, also taking into account the upper part of the 6Ghz band, potentially usable for Mobile Services (6.425- 7.125 GHz). This does not preclude addressing higher sub-bands of the FR3 spectrum to cater for regional regulatory variations and to include ISAC capabilities. The design includes the characterisation and specification of the FEM constituent elements, such as the power amplifiers, LNB, filters, multiplexers/multipliers, ADC and DAC stages, beamformers, and antenna arrays. It also covers the specification of the digital functionalities to be implemented in the FEM, such as DPD, beam steering, channel selection and adaptation as typical examples. This detailed specification part is expected to be subject to tight links with the project selected under the Chips JU Work Programme 2026, as the two projects should complement each other. The design of a complete FEM, including a Digital Front End, a Radio Front End, antenna elements with the needed conversion stages and capable of handling at least 200 MHz channels and compatible with 400 MHz channels. It enables high-throughput/capacity fronthaul with performance capabilities close to those defined by the ITU 2030 Framework (ITU-R Recommendation M.2160-0) for peak data rates, user data rates and spectrum efficiency whilst enabling 50% energy savings of the transmission for a comparable bit rate conveyed by a 5G system. The FEM design should cater for innovative approaches for uplink spectrum management with more balanced downlink/uplink capacity compared to 5G, and addressing uplink requirements originating from new classes of AI/ML-generated traffic. The FEM design should take into account the operational requirements of use cases that would most appropriately benefit from FR3 operations in the wireless domain, for both cellular use cases and FWA use cases, and the comparison of their performance against implementations used at FR1 or FR2 spectrum ranges, respectively. It includes capabilities to realise Sub Band Full Duplex Operations at least at the level specified under 3GPP release 19 for 5G advanced and also in support of ISAC operations. This requires addressing the needed self-interference cancellation functions over a wide spectrum block. I

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Source & verification trail

Official source: European Commission — Funding & Tenders Portal ↗
First retrieved: July 21, 2026
Last verified: July 21, 2026
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