The picoXcell PC312 HSPA+ femtocell system-on-chip (SoC), has been launched
by PicoChip. It is the industry's first such device to support eight users,
with simultaneous voice and data services, says the company.
Offering 64QAM modulation and 3GPP Release 7 features for high-speed
communication, the device is the newest addition to the picoXcell PC3xx
family of single-chip femtocells launched in 2008. All are fully
pin-compatible and offer customers a seamless migration path.
The picoXcell PC312 serves the rapidly emerging market for higher capacity
femtocells for enterprise use. It is pin-compatible with the existing
four-user picoXcell PC302 device. This feature, allied with low power
consumption that eliminates the need for a heatsink, allows manufacturers to
develop a range of residential and enterprise products that offer low cost,
low power, small size and high performance.
The new device builds on the company's robust and field-proven modems,
including the existing PC8219 eight-user solution, launched earlier this
year with the backing of two major players in the femtocell market.
"At ip.access we are dedicated to solving in-building access problems for
mobile operators," said Steve Mallinson, CEO, ip.access. "We are delighted
to be working with picoChip, the industry's leading supplier of femtocell
silicon, on eight-user products that hit the sweet spot of enterprise
needs."
The picoXcell PC312 builds on the company's five years of femtocell
experience that includes forty field trials for the company's products with
more than 20 carriers. The company has already conducted extensive
interoperability testing and developed a level of systems integration
experience and knowledge unparalleled in the semiconductor industry. The
new device integrates added features such as security and timing, and
satisfies the new functionality requirements of 3GPP Release 8 for a Home
NodeB. The PC312 supports the Femto Forum standard FRMI interface, and
includes a glueless interface to many radios, including those from Maxim,
ADI, Lime Microsystems and Bitwave, among others.
"PicoChip has carrier-class products, systems expertise and a five year
investment in understanding the needs of the femtocell market," said Nigel
Toon, president and CEO, picoChip. "These unique assets form a firm
foundation as we continue to develop picoXcell, the industry's most
comprehensive range of femtocell solutions, of which the PC312 is a key
member."
The picoXcell PC312 can support up to 21Mbit/s HSDPA together with 5.7Mbps
HSUPA on a single chip. The device is a low power, low cost complete
femtocell solution with integrated PHY, RNC stack, synchronization, network
listen and Radio Resource Management solutions. Its flexible architecture
also enables customers to easily add value, and upgrade designs as markets
develop.
Functionally, the PC312 device consists of a 3GPP NodeB modem, ARM11
processor, cryptographic engine, high-speed accelerators, and peripherals to
support HSPA+ FAP requirements. It integrates all of the baseband
processing requirements from digital samples to and from RF, through to
network interfacing, enabling a very low system bill of materials cost and
component count.
Software support is provided for 3GPP Release 7 HSPA+ FDD, greatly reducing
development effort and time. In addition, RNC stacks are available which
have been optimized for the PC312 and are suitable for the support of a
variety of network interface architectures including the 3GPP Release 8 HNB
Iuh interface to femtocell gateways, says the company.
