Freescale Partners with Brazil’s Leading Research Center on Large-Scale Deployment of Country’s Wireless Infrastructure

Freescale Semiconductor is collaborating with CPqD, Brazil’s largest telecommunications research and development center, on the deployment of advanced wireless infrastructure technology across the nation ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games and other major events. CPqD is partnering with Freescale to develop 450-MHz LTE solutions based on Freescale’s QorIQ Qonverge base-station-on-chip processors, which are slated to power long-range base stations throughout Brazil.
As host nation for the 2013 Confederation Cup, 2014 FIFA World Cup, and 2016 Olympic Summer Games, Brazil is investing heavily to enhance and expand its wireless infrastructure systems. As part of this investment, CPqD recently opened Latin America's first laboratory for testing and measuring LTE technology for different frequencies, including the 2.6-GHz, 700-MHz, and 450-MHz bands.
Networking and communications-processing company Freescale Semiconductor is playing a significant role in Brazil’s wireless infrastructure build-out, supplying its QorIQ Qonverge BSC9132 base-station-on-chip SoC as the defining processor for a network of small-cell 450-MHz LTE base stations featuring coverage up to 30 km each. The solution also includes Freescale RF power products and low-noise amplifiers.
“Hosting three of the most widely anticipated events in the world in less than 36 months is a daunting task, but one that presents unprecedented opportunities to invest in world-class communications infrastructure that will benefit Brazil for years to come,” said Fabrício Lira Figueiredo, Wireless Communications Division Manager for CPqD. “Freescale is a global leader in base station processing, and its QorIQ Qonverge base station-on-chip technology is ideal for helping us tackle the technical challenges we face as we prepare our nation’s wireless infrastructure for the events ahead.”
QorIQ Qonverge technology is based on a common architecture and integrates communications processing, digital signal processing, and wireless acceleration technologies into a single system-on-chip in various configurations optimized for next-generation wireless equipment. Advanced process technology and exceptional integration allow the convergence of multiple functions traditionally performed on separate FPGAs, ASICs, DSPs, and processors to be incorporated on a single device. This integration lowers part counts and delivers significant power, cost and footprint reductions for base stations. The common architecture spanning from femtocells to macrocells optimizes R&D investments and software reuse.
“Freescale is pleased to collaborate with CPqD on this historic initiative,” said Stephen Turnbull, wireless marketing manager for Freescale’s Digital Networking business. “QorIQ Qonverge technology is playing a pivotal role in enhancing and expanding the capabilities of the world’s networks on a truly global level.”
The QorIQ Qonverge BSC9132 SoC integrates two e500 cores built on Freescale's Power Architecture technology and two StarCore SC3850 cores with the MAPLE-B2P baseband acceleration engine. The processor is a highly programmable device supporting a 20-MHz single-sector LTE-FDD/TDD with 150-Mbit/s downlink and 75-Mbit/s uplink rates and HSPA+ with 42-Mbit/s downlink and 11.5-Mbit/s uplink rates. The processor supports a range of air interfaces, including LTE (FDD/TDD), WCDMA (HSPA+ and UMTS), WiMAX and CDMA, and incorporates glueless RFIC communication and antennae interfaces, eliminating the need for additional chips and ultimately reducing board space and cost.