18 Jun 2012

Freescale Increases Base Station-On-Chip Portfolio

The data explosion taking place on cellular networks, is causing the network topology to change. New cells will be needed at street level, and these must be much lower cost than existing base stations. To help base station developers meet the new requirements, Freescale has developed chips for the microcell end of the market. The new chips are designed for multiple standard use as well as multiple bands and they can handle up to 200 users per base station. They also have a 1 to 2 sector capacity for LTE or up to 4 cells for HSPA and power levels between 1 and 5 watts.

Complementing other products in their portfolio the new metrocell device fits nicely between other products and uses the same basic architecture as the other products enabling easy development, scaling and integration of software.

In view of the requirements to handoff backhaul onto other mechanisms such as Wi-Fi, the chip set also supports the use of Wi-Fi.

To ensure the low latency requirements of LTE are met, a high level of integration is provided between the layer 1 and Layer 2/3 activities. This also has an additional advantage that this integration also provides some power efficiencies which are becoming increasingly important for base stations large and small.

With the smaller base stations having to utilize a variety of different backhaul methodologies the chips will handle pure optical IP networks which are common in Korea and China, and microwave that tends to be used more widely elsewhere. Data is managed suitably for both microwave and IP optical networks.

With the addition of a metrocell system-on-chip (SoC) solution to its QorIQ Qonverge line, Freescale Semiconductor has a wide ranging base station-on-chip portfolio built on a common architecture that scales from small to large cells. Freescale’s new QorIQ Qonverge B4420 baseband processor offers high throughput, simultaneous multimode operation for up to 250 users and support for the LTE, LTE Advanced and WCDMA (HSPA+) standards.

The B4420 completes the first generation of Freescale’s QorIQ Qonverge portfolio, which already includes SoCs for small cell and multi-sector macrocell base stations. The processor is designed for high-capacity metropolitan areas and enhanced outdoor coverage where macrocell coverage is insufficient. The B4420 offers optimal coverage for end users and gives operators enhanced radio planning flexibility and ultra-high performance while reducing capital and operating expenditures.

“Our first generation of QorIQ Qonverge base station-on-chip devices will help transform the future of wireless infrastructure equipment, delivering the technology required to help ramp up LTE, while reducing cost and future-proofing new WCDMA deployments,” said Scott Aylor, general manager of Freescale’s Wireless Access Division. “Our new B4420 baseband processors give base station OEMs access to the industry’s most scalable single-chip solutions for feature-rich micro- and metro-carrier deployed base stations.”

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