Ikanos, picoChip drive femtocell adoption

Ikanos Communications Inc. and picoChip are partnering to advance the integration of smart mobile devices into the home network. Together, picoChip and Ikanos are making possible single-box multiservice gateways that support the integration of smart mobile devices into the home network. These products will enable improved cellular coverage and will enhance the mobile broadband experience with the delivery of rich media content, such as video to the wireless handset.

Sagemcom, one of Europe's leading developers of advanced broadband communications equipment, has selected the Ikanos and picoChip-based femtocell/xDSL gateway for worldwide deployments. The next-generation single-box gateway—Sagemcom's BroadW@ve 4704—combines Ikanos' advanced A/VDSL Fusiv communications processor and picoChip's robust PC302 picoXcell baseband SoC, and is currently in field trials with several leading service providers. Sagemcom will unveil the BroadW@ve 4704 during Mobile World Congress February 15-18, 2010, in Barcelona.

"Integrated femtocell-xDSL gateways are the future of cellular and home interconnectivity," said Eric Rieul, Sagemcom's director of energy and telecom business unit. "Ikanos and picoChip are enabling us to quickly bring to market the next-generation of advanced femtocell gateways, which are capable of meeting our service providers' stringent requirements, while increasing access to broadband mobile services and reducing the proliferation of multiple boxes in the home."

The femtocell-integrated xDSL gateway is designed to provide end-to-end QoS capabilities for the prioritization of time critical traffic—such as voice calls—over less critical data services. Additionally, the single management framework software allows ease-of-management of in-home IP devices and enables the provisioning of location- and context-based femtozone services, such as security alerts and smart home control.

"Mobile connectivity indoors and integration with the home network are key drivers for the significant growth expected in the femtocell market over the next several years," said Mitch Kahn, Ikanos' VP of corporate development. "Ikanos is pleased to be collaborating with picoChip to provide an industry leading platform that expands services, improves connectivity and reduces cellular network overload."

Ikanos and picoChip have developed a femtocell-integrated xDSL reference design which combines Ikanos' Fusiv Vx180 A/VDSL communications processor with picoChip's PC302 picoXcell baseband SOC.

The Fusiv Vx180 integrates Ikanos' industry leading VDSL2 customer premises equipment PHY and its widely deployed Fusiv network processor architecture into a power- and space-optimized chipset that supports all key types of DSL technology, including ADSL, ADSL2+ and VDSL2. The Fusiv Vx180 also combines accelerator processor (AP) engines for data path functions with a MIPS-based CPU core, resulting in the preservation of host CPU processing power for enabling powerful value-added applications.

The PC302 picoXcell SoC implements a complete HSPA+ access point that is compliant with Release 8 specifications for femtocells. It is built using an advanced 65nm manufacturing process to deliver the lowest cost and power for a femtocell available today. The device is compliant to TR25.820 and the newly standardized Iu-h interface and implements 64QAM, offering data rates of up to 21Mbit/s and 5.7Mbit/s in downlink and uplink respectively. The PC302 integrates a 3GPP NodeB modem, radio network controller stack, radio resource management, cryptographic engine, high-speed accelerators, synchronization, network listen functionality and peripherals.

"The combination of Ikanos' Vx180 chipset and our PC302 SoC into one system is providing network equipment manufacturers a competitive edge when developing integrated femtocell gateways," said Doug Morse, director of product marketing at picoChip. "This cost-effective offering is designed to provide the flexibility, high-speed data rates, advanced processing power and functionality—all of which are vital for meeting the requirements of mobile network operators around the world."