The new SoC is designed to simplify the implementation of 5G New Radio (NR)/LTE small cell O-RUs to deliver variety of use cases.
“Most existing O-RU products are based on field-programmable gate array [FPGA] technology, necessitating a hardware redesign approach to address different use cases. Unlocking these new opportunities requires a more focused approach, where new use cases can be accommodated with simple software changes,” said Peter Claydon, president of Picocom.
“That’s why I’m thrilled to introduce Picocom’s optimised yet flexible SoC for small cell radio units. PC805 will empower a new era of small cell deployments, answering the increasing calls from customers for more carrier aggregation and flexible spectrum utilisation.”
Designing an O-RU using PC805 significantly simplifies things and reduces the bill of materials compared to current designs.
The SoC interfaces directly with open distributed units (O-DUs) via open fronthaul and supports connections to radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) with a standardised JESD204B high-speed serial interface.
PC805 comes with a fully integrated O-RAN compliant Picocom 5G NR RU and the M-plane software suite.
“Our research shows that operators see Open RAN as a strategic priority, with 5G – and 5G-Advanced - acting as a trigger for rethinking how networks are built,” said Peter Jarich, head of GSMA Intelligence.
“Optimised and readily available silicon is critical for the success of Open RAN, with a diverse set of sources being best for the industry. It’s good to see companies delivering optimised silicon for small cells, which are particularly important for neutral host and private network deployments along with network densification exercises.”
