IEEE802.16 WiMAX Reference Designs
The industry-standard for WiMAX infrastructure. picoChip’s WiMAX architecture is used by more OEMs and more carriers than any other, including AT4 Wireless – making it the “golden modem” for WiMAX certification.
The picoChip solution scales from femtocells (WiMAX access points) through microcells to sophisticated multi-sector basestations, with full support for mobility, MIMO and beam-forming. What’s more, it is completely software upgradeable, from certified 16d to 16e, Wave 2 and MIMO — and with a roadmap to Wave 3, 16j and 16m.
picoChip has partnerships for other parts of the system, and can support reference designs for radio and MAC (for example, Wintegra)
Because picoChip’s Reference Designs are fully-tested, fully-integrated, system-level solutions which implement the complete WiMAX PHY+MAC, customers using them benefit from dramatically accelerated time-to-market and reduced development cost. The dramatic performance advantages of the picoArray over conventional architectures means these systems also have reduced bill-of-materials and lower power dissipation.
picoChip-developed algorithms meet or exceed all the performance requirements of the IEEE802.16 standard in static, multipath and co-channel interference conditions for all modulation schemes. This increased performance translates directly into increased range, more coverage and better network economics for carriers. (More details).
picoChip's compelling PC8520 16d fixed WiMAX solution is already proved and widely used, with commercial use with over a hundred operators.
The OFDMA (16e-2005) software is fully available now. This was one of the first solutions to enter WiMAX interoperability testing, and has achieved excellent results in Plugfest and in operator deployments. It is used by many of the most respected OEMs in the industry, supplying many of the biggest operator deployments and is truly the industry-standard architecture. The PC8532 software upgrade to support Wave 2 and IO-MIMO was demonstrated at WiMAX World in Vienna in May 07. (More details).
picoChip invented the concept of the femtocell or WiMAX access point, and the PC6530 reference design is the only such complete system on the market to meet operators aggressive cost and performance targets.
picoChip is committed to supporting the standards roadmap and providing customers with a seamless upgrade path to new capabilities, including AAS, MIMO, Wave 3 and .16j mobile relay.
Example customers:
- Intel are using picoChip in a variety of systems, including an AMC card solution that can implement a complete WiMAX modem as a completely develop subsystem.
- Airspan use picoChip’s upgradeable PHY as the heart of their AS.MAX basestations, now being deployed across a variety of networks including Yozan in Tokyo.
- CETECOM use picoChip’s technology in their protocol conformance tester, which is being developed jointly with Aeroflex. Cetecom are the certification lab appointed by the WiMAX forum, making picoChip “the golden modem” for certification.
| Part Number | Description | Product brief |
| PC8520 | OFDM (IEEE802.16-2004) basestation product brief |  |
| PC8530 | OFDM (IEEE802.16e-2005) basestation product brief | |
| PC6530 | OFDMA (IEEE802.16e-2005) Femtocell/picocell integrated PHY+MAC for home basestation | |
| PC8532 | WiMAX 802.16e Wave 2 + MIMO Basestation PHY | |
picoChip’s WiMAX solution is completely software upgradeable, from 16d to 16e, MIMO and beyond
16j: Mobile Relay
802.16J is a task group, looking at relay station architecture for OFDMA 802.16e-2005 based systems. This will enable small cell coverage beyond the initial macro-cell deployment, and to specify the architecture such that the price and complexity of relay stations is greatly reduced. The standard is expected to be ratified in the 2nd half of 2007 clearing the way for standardized equipment to be deployed.
picoChip is developing a reference design for 802.16j.
16m: Next Generation
IEEE has recently approved the PAR for 802.16m, extending the WiMAX architecture for even higher data-rates as a 4G system.
The performance of the picoChip architecture makes it ideally suited to this application.
"The picoChip solution will accelerate market
acceptance of 802.16 by enabling carriers to deploy early while retaining
the ability to upgrade to mobility (802.16e) and full WiMAX compliance later.
The solution is effectively an insurance policy against obsolescence and
the risks of a rapidly evolving standard and segment."
Andy Fuertes
Senior Analyst with Visant Strategies and author of the recently published study, “802.16/WiMAX Technologies: World Market Forecasts 2003-2008”
Conference presentation
Successes
picoChip's success in WiMAX was recognized at the WiMAX World show in October 2006, and picoChip won three awards at WiMAX World 2007 in Vienna.
The prestigious consultancy Farpoint Group awarded picoChip "Coolest Product at the Show", while Unstrung awarded us Unstrung's (unofficial) "Best of Show" award
