Since the first 5G services were launched at the end of 2018, mobile network operators (MNOs) around the world have been busily deploying 5G networks and, according to the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), the number of global subscribers reached 1.15 billion at the end of 2022.1 This represented a year-on-year growth of 85.9 percent. It is still early days for 5G and MNOs globally are continuing to invest heavily in their 5G networks, primarily in the C-Band or mid-range spectrum, around 3.8 GHz.

This article discusses these trends in more detail. It will explore how top-side cooling (TSC) techniques can result in smaller and lighter semiconductor devices. TSC packages are already found in several applications, such as electric motor control, but this article examines a top-side arrangement for RF radio modules, which are at the heart of mMIMO solutions.