AbstractIn this article, excitation of the magnetic quadrupole mode of a cylindrical dielectric resonator antenna, designated as the HEM21δ mode, using planar feeding technique is discussed for the first time. Two types of planar feeds—a dual‐microstrip feed and a dual‐slot feed are numerically investigated. Results show that the dual‐slot feed is more suitable for exciting the HEM21δ mode as it gives better symmetry of the radiation pattern and lower cross‐polarization level. A DRA prototype (dielectric constant, εr = 24, loss tangent, tanδ = 0.002, diameter, 2a = 19.43 mm and height, h = 7.3 mm) using dual‐slot feed is fabricated and characterized. Measurements demonstrate a resonant frequency of ~ 4.96 GHz, bandwidth of ~4.4%, peak gain of ~3.45 dBi and peak cross‐polar level of ~ − 11 dB for the HEM21δ mode, which are in decent agreement with numerical predictions.