picoChip brings femtocell into main carrier platform
Adds support for Iub, allowing femtos to be included in centrally managed public networks
Published: 13 December, 2010
READ MORE: PicoChip Designs | Core Network | Femtocell
The femtocell is only just becoming a mainstream option for indoor 3G coverage, but backers of the technology already have their eyes on the public access network. Several operators, notably Vodafone, are now testing the tiny, self-managing base stations as devices to increase capacity in 4G outdoor networks or provide public hotspots. This transition from the home could improve the economics of building 4G, but will also require support for a broader set of standards to make femtos truly carrier class.
One is the well established Iub interface between the 3G base station and the radio network controller (RNC). picoChip, the main supplier of commercial chipsets for femtocells, has extended its platform to support Iub, as it pushes into the public access market. The interface will now be included in the new picoXcell PC333 HSPA+ device.
The 3GPP has standardized on the Iuh interface for connecting femtocells to gateways and thence to the core network, but picoChip's statement said: "By supporting the lub standard associated with traditional cellular network architectures and picocells, in addition to the Iuh standard adopted for femtocells, picoChip continues to drive the progression of its system-on-chip technology into the enterprise and public access space."
"Many carriers and vendors are attracted by the cost advantages of femtocells and wish to benefit from the economies of scale enabled by standard silicon SoC, but also want to continue to support their centrally managed Iub architecture for public access base stations," commented Dimitris Mavrakis, an analyst at Informa.
At this week's Femtocell Americas conference in Miami, the UK-based silicon firm is also detailing its plans for a dual-mode platform that will support LTE/HSPA+ small cells. As in macro base stations, it is increasingly important for carriers to be able to purchase multi-standard products that allow for relatively simple and flexible migration to LTE, when the market is right.
The picoChip platform combines the PC333 with the PC500 LTE product. The former can be used in femtocells that support up to 64 HSPA users, while the PC500 supports 3GPP Release 9 in both FDD and TDD modes. The chip designer recently announced successful interoperability testing for the PC500 with an LTE device reference design from Wavesat.
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