Eyeing next-generation wireless infrastructure market, Bath, England-based fables semiconductor company picoChip has completed the development of reference designs for high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) picocells and 802.16 (WiMAX) base stations. Both off-the-shelf systems run on the developer’s PC102 picoArray chip, which the company started shipping in July this year.

The PC8218 provides a complete software-defined implementation of the UMTS FDD layer 1 baseband processing and handles 32 user 500 m picocell for voice, DCH data or HSPDA services. The PC8520 is a complete software-defined implementation of the 802.16-2004 OFDM PHY and lower MAC. According to picoChip, the PC8520 enables base stations to be WiMAX-certified. In addition, the design supports subchannelization and antenna diversity. The HSPDA enhances the speed of WCDMA base stations up to 14.4 Mbps.

“These reference designs are highly integrated and optimized to speed up development time and significantly reduce the system bill of materials, ” stated Rupert Baines, vice president of marketing at picoChip. In fact, he added, “The radio for each base station is simulated and offered as part of the reference design.” The transceiver for these applications can be implemented by off-the-shelf components available in the market.

Delivering 200 GIPS and 40 GMACs, picoChip claims that a single PC102 replaces a number of conventional DSPs and FPGAs. It is also easy to program in assembly or standard ANSI C.

Meanwhile, to expand into China, picoChip has also opened a sales, support and R&D office in Shenzhen in partnership with Millennium Meshwork Data Systems Ltd. Peter Claydon, co-founder and CEO at picoChip commented, “To meet the demand for China’s dynamic growth in wireless technology requires local support. This new office in Shenzhen will not only help us to serve our existing partners better, but should also help us strengthen and intensify our penetration of the fast growing market in this region.”

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