Product category:
Reference Designs
News Release from: picoChip Designs | Subject: 3G basestation on a CD
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 16 June 2003
3G basestation reference design comes on
a CD
picoChip Designs has developed the industry's first software reference design for 3G basestations.
picoChip Designs has developed the industry's first software reference design for 3G basestations The "basestation on a CD" includes tested algorithms and source code for WCDMA FDD, providing manufacturers with a speedy, cost-competitive and low risk route to develop a fully compliant "carrier class" 3G basestation
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 16 Sep 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Soft basestation extends to 3.5G for faster data
The industry's first high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) solution has been added to the novel "3G basestation on a CD" reference design from picoChip Designs.
Baseband technology sorts out 3G infrastructure
A new complete baseband platform for 3G infrastructure is claimed to solve the three critical problems confronting manufacturers.
Current development times for a basestation can be up to 24 months or more, with budgets of many tens of millions of dollars: this solution makes it possible to reduce these by up to 50%.
In addition to manufacturers it is ideally suited to operators, system development houses and research organisations wishing to test out new features.
CTO and cofounder, Doug Pulley, said: "The interest in our "ready to go" basestation has been quite remarkable.
Further reading
Software system on chip cuts 3G infrastructure
picoChip Designs has sampled its first device, the PC101, which delivers a massive computational power of 30GMACs per second.
Demo proves software-defined basestation concept
picoChip Designs has demonstrated the first 3G call using a software-defined basestation.
Parallel array redefines basestation architectures
picoChip Designs reckons it has developed the world's most powerful processing device for wireless infrastructure.
We can now supply OEM customers with a complete WCDMA software reference design, fully compliant and tested.
Our software-defined basestation removes the need to worry about obsolescence, interoperability or being trapped into outdated standards - while reducing system cost and bill of materials.
What is more, because this is a software-based platform, customers retain the crucial ability to add proprietary elements, to use their own algorithms and to include their own IP".
The hardware is based around picoChip's technology platform of picoArray devices.
The system is capable of supporting the full set of 3G voice, data and video services.
The system complies with Release 4.2.0 (Sept 2001) of the standard (the most common revision for current deployment and for interoperability with handsets) and has been fully tested to TS25.215 and TS25.104.
Support for Release 5 (including HSDPA) is now under development for release later this year.
Versions are available for both macrocells and microcells.
Pulley added: "This is the first in a series of system level products that includes different protocols and 3G test equipment.
Future releases include HSDPA, TD-SCDMA and 802.20.
Our aim is to provide operators and manufacturers with significant time to market benefits across a broad range of infrastructure platforms".
Comprehensive supporting collateral is supplied that provides designers with the means to rapidly develop products based around picoArray technology.
It includes: algorithms, references to the standard, source code, and test and verification frameworks.
Full systems, applications support is provided by industry experts with significant experience in developing 3G basestations for a number of current suppliers.
The picoChip design platform combines an innovative array of processing elements with a rich programming environment and comprehensive system libraries.
These allow applications to be easily and efficiently developed, simulated, compiled, verified and tested in a single environment.
The picoArray processor is the fastest embedded processor on the market, delivering 300GOPS and 30GMAC/s - approximately ten times the performance of any other device.
The reference design platform is available now direct from picoChip.
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