Datacard platform boosts 3GPP datarates: News from Icera Semiconductor

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Icera has released its first Adaptive Wireless HSDPA Datacard Platform, which will enable cellular datacard vendors to be first to market with next generation 3GPP Release 5 multimode HSDPA products. The platform supports Adaptive Wireless software delivering peak datarates of 3.6Mbit/s and is fully scalable to 7.2Mbit/s and HSUPA - without hardware change. Stan Boland, President and CEO of Icera said: 'The availability of HSDPA terminals is probably the most pressing requirement for all global operators today and our first announced platform fully meets their requirements and will scale to meet their future upgrades'.

'Supporting 3.6Mbit/s user datarates, our Adaptive Wireless advanced receiver and diversity software capability will deliver dramatically improved user datarates and network capacity over early 1.8Mbit/s prototype solutions'.

Commenting on the announcement, Michael Thelander, Principal Analyst at Signals Research Group, an independent research consultancy, and author of the Signals Ahead research newsletter, said: '3G operators are placing a very high premium on HSDPA and HSUPA, which we believe will drive the widespread adoption of these technologies even more so than we first envisioned'.

'Within four years, HSDPA could represent more than 70% of the entire 3G market, and account for over 200 million devices'.

He further added: 'With a fully functional 3.6Mbit/s platform available today that features a software-only upgrade to 7.2Mbit/s, Icera is positioning itself to be a leading supplier of HSDPA.

In this market, Icera is definitely a company to watch'.

The Adaptive Wireless HSDPA Datacard Platform is unique in supporting the software implementation of an advanced set of physical layer algorithms, which constantly monitor wireless channel conditions and dynamically adapt to guarantee the highest level of performance at all times.

The Icera platform is the first to fully support an advanced receiver that features more complex receive path signal processing plus dual antenna receive diversity.

As a result, a typical user might see a trebling in actual datarates compared with conventional solutions.

Built around the Icera Livanto ICE8020 device, the Adaptive Wireless HSDPA Datacard Platform has an extremely small board area and low power consumption, allowing it to support emerging embedded laptop form-factors, such as PCIe Mini-Card and PCIe Express Card, as well as the more conventional PCMCIA.

The Icera platform design is complemented by proven products from other industry leaders, including TTPCom's HSDPA dual mode protocol stack and Infineon's UMTS RF solution.

Icera is scheduled to provide customers with fast upgrades to both higher HSDPA categories, including 7.2Mbit/s, and is set to be one of the first companies offering the latest enhanced uplink datarates, often referred to as HSUPA.

Icera's advantage is that these are software deliverables and require no hardware changes to implement.

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Datacard platform boosts 3GPP datarates

The Adaptive Wireless HSDPA Datacard Platform will enable cellular datacard vendors to be first to market with next generation 3GPP Release 5 multimode HSDPA products.