Freescale and ArrayComm Join Forces to Deliver Multi Antenna Signal Processing Technology for WiMAX Base Stations

Freescale and ArrayComm Join Forces to Deliver Multi Antenna Signal Processing Technology for WiMAX Base Stations

Reference Design Developed to Enhance Performance and Reduce Operating Costs of WiMAX Infrastructure Equipment
Freescale Technology Forum Japan

Operators of WiMAX networks can look forward to baseband equipment with dramatic improvements in range, coverage quality and operating efficiency thanks to a joint solution from Freescale Semiconductor and ArrayComm LLC.

The companies have developed a reference design intended to speed and simplify the creation of high-performance WiMAX base station equipment. The solution combines ArrayComm’s multi antenna signal processing software (A-MAS™) with Freescale’s high-performance MSC8144 quad-core digital signal processor.

The reference design leverages the high performance of the MSC8144 DSP to handle both Media Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) processing. Equipment based on the solution is optimized to deliver high frequencies, superior channel density and low operating costs.

“While baseline profiles and certification waves are a good start, even greater performance gains can be achieved by leveraging ArrayComm’s software,” said Steve Sifferman, president of ArrayComm. “The end result of this collaboration allows our customers to profit from our ability to fully utilize the advanced processing power, versatility and features of Freescale’s DSP technology to create our highly advanced signal processing algorithms in wireless broadband network economics.”

Compared with current generations of WiMAX base station equipment systems, products based on the combined solution are expected to offer two to four times greater coverage, more than doubled data rates, and as much as a fourfold increase in capacity for 802.16/WiMAX networks. The reference design meets the IEEE® 802.16e standard and conforms to the WiMAX Forum Wave 2 base profile.

ArrayComm’s A-MAS software offers unique support of multiple input/multiple output (MIMO), adaptive antenna system (AAS) and combined MIMO/AAS modes. It incorporates all the antenna processing aspects of the WiMAX profiles approved by the WiMAX Forum Mobile Task Group for IEEE 802.16e. A-MAS leverages more than 14 years of ArrayComm experience in commercial multi antenna signal processing applications, yielding a software solution that accelerates development of advanced base station products and reduces technical risk. The enhanced performance of the A-MAS enabled network equipment can vastly improve the OPEX and CAPEX bottom line and ensure favorable business cases for WiMAX service providers.

The MSC8144 DSP is based on StarCore® DSP technology and is designed to reduce system cost and improve performance for intensive network processing. Addressing industry requirements for consolidation and reuse, the MSC8144 DSP takes single chip integration to new levels, embedding four multiple-issue 1GHz StarCore® DSP cores and integrating one of the industry’s highest density embedded DSP memories at 10.5Mbytes, a security coprocessor, RISC engines and an abundance of high speed networking interfaces, while maintaining highly competitive cost and power ratios.

“The high-performance programmable processing of the MSC8144 DSP allows OEMs to use the same device, hardware platform and tools for multiple applications by using differentiated software loads,” said Jeff Timbs, director of marketing for Freescale’s Networking Systems Divison. “The combination of the MSC8144’s processing performance with ArrayComm’s multi antenna software offers significant savings on development time, decreased base station costs and performance benefits for a new generation of broadband wireless infrastructure equipment.”

About ArrayComm

ArrayComm LLC, a Ygomi Group company, is the leader in multi antenna signal processing for wireless systems. ArrayComm software delivers large gains in the coverage, capacity, and data rates for wireless communications systems. ArrayComm software is implemented in WiMAX, PHS, GSM, W-CDMA, and HC-SDMA wireless systems, and it is operating in more than 300,000 commercial deployments today.

About Freescale Semiconductor

Freescale Semiconductor is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking and wireless markets. The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations in more than 30 countries. Freescale is one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies with 2006 sales of $6.4 billion (USD). www.freescale.com

Freescale® and the Freescale logo are trademarks of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. ArrayComm and A-MAS are trademarks of ArrayComm LLC. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. 2007. ArrayComm LLC 2007.

Contacts

Freescale Semiconductor
Jack Taylor, 512-996-5161 or 512-560-7143 (Mobile)
jack.taylor {at} freescale(.)com
or
Representing Freescale Semiconductor
Kathy Truesdell, 512-996-5117 or 512-633-8620 (Mobile)
truesdel {at} onr(.)com
or
Freescale Semiconductor
Europe, Middle East, Africa:
Laurent Massicot, (33-16) 935-7712
laurent.massicot {at} freescale(.)com
or
Asia Pacific:
Gloria Shiu, (85-22) 666-8237
gloria.shiu {at} freescale(.)com
or
Japan:
Masako Tanikawa, (81-3) 5437-9127
masako.tanikawa {at} freescale(.)com
or
ArrayComm
Carl Clouse, 630-413-5075 or 708-227-1998 (Mobile)
carl.clouse {at} arraycomm(.)com
or
ArrayComm International LLC
Japan:
Iichiro Takahashi, (81-3) 6404-8911
iichiro.takahashi {at} arraycomm(.)com