Octasic Launches First True SDR Solution for GSM/EDGE Basestations

Octasic has shown off its first Software Defined Radio (SDR) platform for GSM, EDGE and EDGE Evolution Base Transceiver Station (BTS) applications. Vocallo BTS is the first product of Octasic's recently announced wireless program that uses its Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology.

True SDR capability plays a central role in the future of mobile communications systems. It enables system implementers to dynamically reconfigure and upgrade wireless systems purely on a software basis. This has endless benefits, including cost of ownership, ability to respond quickly to changing market dynamics, such as the introduction of EDGE Evolution, lower development costs, and a significant time-to-market advantage.

"Vocallo BTS, with its breakthrough multi-core clock-less DSP architecture, finally enables system implementers to create a range of next-generation, multi-standard wireless solutions based on a true SDR implementation," said Emmanuel Gresset, vice president of Software Defined Radio at Octasic. "Creating a software-enabled environment for wireless technologies -- both current and evolving -- on a DSP platform will provide our customers with a significant advantage as they build products for their wireless customers."

The Vocallo BTS Digital Signal Processor (DSP) integrates a complete Layer 1 baseband for up to 12 GSM carriers or 6 EDGE carriers or any combination. All this is achieved in a 15mm x 15mm BGA consuming less than 1W (or 80 mW per carrier). Vocallo BTS' power density figure is a direct result of Opus, Octasic's asynchronous DSP core technology. Elimination of the clock tree also brings benefits in chip size, allowing Vocallo BTS to be priced competitively on a per carrier basis.

"Until recently, wireless DSP implementations have been hybrid, making the solutions inflexible," Gresset said. "System trade-offs between hardware and software were necessary to balance chip size, power consumption and computational efficiency, because a software only solution would be too expensive and too power hungry in comparison to a hybrid solution. Vocallo BTS is the first solution that provides implementers with the best of all worlds -- flexibility, power and efficiency."

Future Opus-based SDR products will target 3G and 4G multi-standard femto, pico and macro wireless basestations.

Posted to the site on 17th February 2009