With most of the country now capable of accessing 4G/LTE, it's time to turn our attentions to the next level of broadband connectivity - 5G. It is a technology that is beginning to rollout in small batches across the globe, but given how it is billed as an IoT enabler, ensuring that it runs at an optimal level will prove crucial. 

Aiming to help in that regard is a new design from a research team at Ohio State University, with a 'hovering' antenna being developed. 

These millimeter wave antennas are suspended above the usual substrates one may normally find them on, essentially 'hovering' and preventing any loss of signal strength, as is the case with conventionally mounted antennas upon substrates. Added to this, the antennas will also house specially 3D printed lens-like structures that focus and boost whatever signal is channeled through them, according to the Ohio State researchers.   

At this very early stage of the process, however, there is no word on whether this newly developed antenna setup will be made available commercially. That said, with the development of smart and connected cities dependant on a stable 5G network, any method of enhancement is welcome.