Freescale-powered Platforms Enable 3G Wireless Base Stations to Support LTE and Other 4G Standards

PARIS --(Business Wire)-- Sep 07, 2009 Freescale technology is playing a key role in the development of unified common platforms – programmable solutions for wireless base stations that allow service providers to deploy one technology today and later upgrade to more advanced standards such as LTE or WiMAX with a simple software installation.

As the pace of deployment worldwide quickens for next-generation wireless networks, carriers increasingly require an infrastructure that ensures maximum equipment re-use and a smooth evolution path to advanced wireless standards. Unified common platforms are helping base station equipment manufacturers meet this requirement, while creating significant market opportunities for semiconductor providers offering the flexibility and performance necessary to support the ultra-high data rates of next-generation air interfaces.

To meet carriers’ demand for sophisticated unified common platforms, worldwide base station OEMs are turning to Freescale Semiconductor and its broad portfolio of industry-leading multicore processors and DSPs. Alcatel-Lucent recently designated Freescale’s QorIQ P4080 processor and MSC8156 DSP as the foundation for a platform targeting highly flexible wireless base stations designed to meet the current and future requirements of the world’s leading wireless carriers.

"Alcatel-Lucent’s Converged Radio Access Network (RAN) solution provides mobile operators with wireless technology that will enable them to meet their needs today and offer a smooth evolution path toward LTE to address tomorrow’s market challenges,” said Mike Iandolo, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s Wireless Product Division. “Freescale's multicore processors help us ensure that Alcatel-Lucent solutions feature the advanced processing intelligence that will enable our customers to satisfy their subscribers’ expectations today and tomorrow.”

“As advanced wireless standards draw closer to mainstream adoption, Freescale is focused on providing the world’s top OEMs with the flexibility, performance and systems knowledge they need for success in today’s highly competitive environment,” said Lisa Su, general manager and senior vice president of Freescale’s Networking and Multimedia Group. “This design win continues our track record of working closely with Alcatel-Lucent to advance the state of wireless technology worldwide.”

About the MSC8156 DSP

Freescale’s highest-performance programmable DSP, the MSC8156 is one of the industry’s first DSPs based on 45-nm process technology, enabling the part with performance, energy efficiency and form factor advantages. It includes acceleration technology that adds flexibility and reduces cost. The onboard Multi-Accelerator Platform Engine technology for baseband, called MAPLE-B, works in concert with the six fully programmable DSP cores to support the 3G-LTE, TDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA and WiMAX standards, as well as the symbol rate functionality of HSPA and HSPA+. Delivering multi-standard capabilities on a single platform eliminates the need to redesign hardware for different base station standards.

About the QorIQ P4080 processor

Freescale’s QorIQ P4080 multicore processor is the signature member of Freescale’s QorIQ product line. Based on 45-nm process technology, the device integrates eight e500 Power Architecture™ cores, a tri-level cache hierarchy, innovative CoreNet™ on-chip fabric and datapath acceleration to deliver exceptional performance within a 30W maximum power envelope. Freescale is now sampling the QorIQ P4080 processor to select customers.

About Freescale Semiconductor

Freescale Semiconductor is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial and networking markets. The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations around the world. www.freescale.com.