BitWave Semiconductor has taped out a software-defined radio that the company is targeting for a 2007 launch, company executives said.
The "Softranseiver" was designed to process a variety of protocols – UMTS 3G (including GSM, GPRS, EDGE, and W-CDMA); CDMA2K, iDen, and 802.11b/g WiFi. Partial support for other protocols including GSM, 802.11n, Bluetooth and various digital broadcast standards have also been included.
Software-defined radios (SDRs) work on the premise that a single configurable radio is cheaper to operate than multiple transceivers, each optimized for a different protocol and frequency band. Although the SDR designer has to choose a frequency band and which protocols to support, the technology allows for more flexibility than a hardwired ASIC. The "radios" in question are used in devices ranging from mobile phones to PDAs to notebook PCs, communicating data in different formats but with a single PC Card or module.
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ExtremeTech
Nov 23, 2005, 02:18 AM
