Freescale RF Technologies and QorIQ Qonverge Base Station-on-Chip Enable Innovative White Space Broadband Solution from TTP

White space is license-exempt radio spectrum that exists between licensed TV transmissions. Globally, more than 100 MHz of prime UHF white space radio spectrum exists in many rural locations and is characterized by excellent propagation characteristics ideal for long-range communication. Enabled by the right multicore SoC and RF solutions, the spectrum can be used to deliver data at high speeds across a distance of many miles. White space spectrum is ideal for providing fixed broadband internet services to locations where the routing of cables or optical fiber is neither practical nor economic.

TTP and Freescale are collaborating to develop low-cost terminals and base stations engineered to support “last-mile” delivery of broadband service to consumers and small businesses. Similar in size to current-generation home routers, the TTP solution is engineered to deliver broadband over white space at speeds comparable to cellular LTE. By combining several TV channels and using directional antennas, data rates can be maximized.

“Enabling communities with affordable, robust broadband service in locations where wired infrastructure is impractical or uneconomical is one of the great challenges for the telecommunications industry over the coming years,” said Richard Walker, Head of Wireless for TTP. “White space broadband is significantly faster and lower cost to deploy than optical fiber over long distances in remote areas. The price and power advantages of Freescale’s products will play a significant role in further enhancing the performance and cost efficiencies of our white space solution.”

Freescale’s QorIQ Qonverge BSC9131 processor will handle the entire wireless stack from Layer 1 to transport and other processing duties for the TTP white space solution. The TTP solution additionally includes Freescale’s MMZ09312B, MMZ25332B, MML09211H and MML20211H advanced gallium arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) amplifiers featuring exceptional linearity and power efficiency.

“As IP traffic continues to grow exponentially around the world, spectrum has become an increasingly rare and valuable commodity,” said Tareq Bustami, vice president of product management for Freescale’s Digital Networking business. “TTP’s white space solution helps to unlock the value of idle TV band spectrum and deliver affordable broadband to historically underserved markets. Freescale is pleased that the performance and power efficiency of its embedded small cell technologies will play a key role in TTP’s compelling new product.”

TTP is an established leader in white space development and was one of the first to demonstrate the potential of using TV spectrum for the delivery of broadband by linking its head offices in Hertfordshire, UK, to a rural village in Cambridgeshire in 2012.

About Freescale’s QorIQ Qonverge BSC9131 processor

The QorIQ Qonverge BSC9131 base station-on-chip is based on 45-nm advanced process technology. It includes multi-standard acceleration technology that adds flexibility and reduces costs for OEMs. An onboard Multi-Accelerator Platform Engine for baseband, called MAPLE-B, works in concert with the high-performance and fully programmable DSP core to support Layer 1 processing for 3G-LTE, TD-SCDMA, WiMAX and WCDMA standards. A high-performance Power Architecture e500 MPU coupled with a smart Ethernet controller and a security encryption accelerator balance the device to handle Layer 2/3, transport and control functions.