Software Defined Radio: Baseband Technologies for 3G Handsets and Basestations

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The picoArray: A Reconfigurable SDR Processor for Basestations

Rupert Baines

picoChip

Increasingly sophisticated algorithms are being used everywhere in communication systems to support higher data rates and richer services. This is most visible in mobile systems, where the move to third generation is driving significant changes in component design for telecoms equipment. In addition to basic voice and messaging, third generation UMTS technology paves the way for telecom operators to offer sophisticated data services that industry analysts predict are essential for revenue growth over the next decade.

The market for UMTS basestations is estimated to be around $10 billion a year for the next few years, as deployments are made around the world both for new networks and as capacity is added to existing networks to support the growth in customer numbers and calls.

However, the complexity of UMTS technology and the competitive pressures combine to make this a uniquely challenging market for manufacturers. With wireless carriers pushing OEMs to deliver lower cost infrastructure with higher performance and more traffic processing capacity, most traditional approaches simply cannot deliver the processing horsepower required at an acceptable cost and within an acceptable time-scale.

This chapter introduces a radically new processing architecture, based upon a massively parallel array of microprocessors, optimized for wireless applications, which can address these challenges. As well ...