Electrically small metamaterial-based antennas – have we seen any real practical benefits?

Abstract:
Electrically small metamaterial-based antennas are discussed from the industrial point of view using mobile phones as the application example. It appears, that despite the interesting theoretical findings, the commercial acceptability of these antennas is low. Some of the issues possibly leading to this situation are addressed. Discussion topics range from challenging application environment, through the response of finite-size composite-material samples, all the way to the required constructive criticism and acknowledgement of prior art. Selected issues are discussed in more details, and proposals how to possibly improve the commercial acceptability of metamaterial-based antennas are made.