Startup Eridan raises $46M in funding with 'Miracle' for 5G infrastructure

Startup Eridan said it has raised $46 million in venture funding to develop what it calls a revolutionary digital approach to the connection between a modem and an antenna in a wireless network.

The company, based in Mountain View, California, calls its new product the "Miracle RF Front End Module." Venture capitalists including Capricorn's Technology Impact Fund, Monta Vista Capital, Social Capital, Diamond Edge Ventures and Pilot Grove Management are among the companies financing the startup.

Specifically, Eridan said its new direct polar transmitter, in gallium nitride and silicon, requires 10x less input power to provide the same coverage, alongside a 60-100x reduction in power consumption in sparsely populated areas, due to improved spatial efficiency. Transmission equipment is also lighter and smaller, according to the company.

Figure 1: (Source: dpa picture alliance / Alamy Stock Photo)

According to a lengthy article in TechCrunch on the company, Eridan has demonstrated 1,024-QAM products, and is currently working on 65,536-QAM signals in its labs. To put that into perspective, most of today's 5G networks boast just 256 QAM.

It's also worth noting that the company said its products adhere to open RAN specifications. Those are designed to allow wireless network operators to mix and match products from a variety of vendors inside their networks.

FinSMEs reported Eridan has more than 29 patents issued and pending.

Eridan said it plans to use its new funds to ramp up production of its products into 2023. The company has not announced any specific customers, but FinSMEs reported Eridan has already received over $30 million in contracts from the US Department of Defense.

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— Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading | @mikeddano