WiMAX World: Redline chooses picoChip SDR Platform

Getting an early jump on the news coming out of WiMAX World conference in Chicago occurring September 29 through October 3rd, picoChip on Monday announced that Redline Communications, a leading provider of standards-based WiMAX access and broadband wireless infrastructure products, has selected their PC8532 modem to power its next generation RedMAX 4C™ Mobile WiMAX basestations. picoChip is a leading supplier of high-performance multi-core DSP, offering a powerful platform to develop products for emerging global wireless communications markets such as WiMAX, WCDMA, LTE, TD-SCDMA and 4G. picoChip’s products scale from femtocell access points and picocells to sophisticated multi-sector carrier macrocells.

The agreement gives Redline access to a software defined radio (SDR) platform with best-in-class performance/cost ratio. Redline has added its low-complexity maximum-likelihood receiver to the picoChip design in order to increase uplink system performance for coverage and capacity. The software-defined system supports upgrades to future standards, such as LTE, 802.16e Release 1.5 and 802.16m.
Redline, which is also an exhibitor here at the show, sells to carrier and enterprise level organizations in both developed and key high-growth markets around the world, and has more than 166 deployments of its WiMAX Forum Certified™ systems to date. The company has previously delivered mobile broadband to UK and Silicon Valley train networks and created North America’s largest education sector wireless network.
Speaking about the agreement, picoChip’s CEO and president, Guillaume d’Eyssautier, stated: “Our ability to offer advanced IO-MIMO capability and future support for 16m and LTE helped, but the fact that they (Redline) were persuaded by the quality our PHY is testament to the strength of the picoChip offering. We are very excited to have Redline as a key customer.”
The Redline RedMAX 4C Mobile WiMAX platform, which is based on the WiMAX industry’s 802.16e-2005 standards for mobile WiMAX, supports a wide range of fixed, portable and mobile wireless services including support voice and video over IP, broadband Internet access used to support high value education, medical, transportation and municipal applications, VPNs (virtual private networks) and other advanced communications services.
The RedMAX 4C is designed to enable operators to maximize the reach and customer density required for a profitable carrier business model. It includes a modular, standardized µTCA (micro Telecommunications Computing Architecture) chassis basestation that is small, lightweight and easy to deploy. RedMAX 4C will also include a suite of indoor and outdoor fixed and portable end-user devices including laptops, mobile handsets and PDAs. Redline’s new WiMAX offering is also designed to facilitate the integration of its existing RedMAX products with its RedMAX 4C technologies, providing operators a path to true mobility.

Emdrive - Microwaves to Create Space Thruster?

Something a little more from fringe science: I recently heard on my favorite tech news podcast that there was an article published in New Scientist about a space (as in outer space) drive that converts electrical energy into thrust using microwaves. It has caused a lot of uproar about not being possible because it violates the law of conservation of momentum, making it impossible to build. But the Chinese (looking for any technological advantage in space they can get) claim to have confirmed the theory and are building a demonstration unit.

The theory is that the drive creates thrust by tapering a resonant cavity filled with microwaves. The thrust is small, 85 compared to 92 mN for the NSTAR ion thruster used by NASA, but enough to power space vehicles and it uses much less power than the NSTAR. Apparently, the microwaves are introduced into a tapered cavity and strike the larger end of the cavity with more force than the smaller end that has less area which creates thrust. One big question is why doesn't the force exerted on the sides also create opposing forces that cancel out each other.

Interesting stuff - we will have to see how it works out. Some of us might be building space thrusters soon. Do you think it will work?

EB Releasing New Emulator Platform

As editors, we get to participate in company and product briefings quite often, so I thought I would start covering them here as interesting tidbits beyond the typical product or press releases. They get much more in depth than the news items so they can provide additional insights.

I talked with Elektrobit (now EB) last week about their new emulator platform, EB Propsim F8, and was very impressed with its capability to test all current and future cellular standards including real air interface conditions that the standards do not necessarily cover. It supports the current standards in place plus 3G/WiMAX/LTE/4G in one box, has the widest RF bandwidth up to 125 MHz with MIMO (up to 8x8), highest number of channels (2-8 physical and 4-32 logical), highest delay range (up to 1.5 sec), supports baseband interface and actual measured network radio propagation emulation. This product was recently announced the other day in conjunction with WiMAX World in Chicago.

As an ex-marketing communications person, I really like their newer branding as EB. The colors and style really work to present them as a modern, high tech company. They really seem to have the leading edge products for their markets.

WiMAX World 2008: The 4G Executive Summit

The 4G Executive Summit at the WiMAX World 2008 Conference and Expo was a full day event, hosted by Berge Ayvazian, the Chief strategy Officer with the Yankee Group. The event included a keynote speech by Hank Kafka, the VP of Architecture for AT&T on “Operator Strategies for 4G Networks” as well as a talk by Charlie Martin, Wireless Chief Technology Officier for Huawei Technologies (USA) followed by a 4G executive roundtable, networking lunch and four afternoon sessions on infrastructure strategies, 4G Device and CPE strategies, regulatory and spectrum policy; and 4G applications workshop.

In all the program was designed to deliver comprehensive thought leadership on these key topics:
1. Personal and Mobile Broadband Services
2. Enabling Disruptive 4G Mobile Technologies
3. Wireless Broadband and Mobile Applications Strategies
4. Mobile Content and Commerce Strategies
5. Mobile TV, Quad Play, and Broadband Embedded Consumer Electronics
6. New Business Models for Personal Broadband and the Mobile Internet

The talks

In his keynote talk this morning at the 4G Executive Summit (WiMAX World ) AT&T's Hank Kafka claimed that, “For the U.S. wireless market to meet the soaring demands of consumers, we have got to set targets, but targets without a plan are only wishful thinking. In general, most of our operators have similar 4G targets but the difference will be in the path to those targets."The nature of that path was the main topic of discussion at this executive summit. AT&T’s Kafka extolled the virtues of GSM and its long-term evolution (LTE)."Our evolution has been from GPRS to EDGE to UMTS to HSPA and soon LTE," Kafka said. "It's clear that LTE will fit neatly... This is the great advantage of the GSM evolution: We are not starting from scratch. GSM can build from the existing technologies. It takes years for new technologies to get broad coverage nationwide."

While AT&T envisioned an evolutionary path toward 4G, the summit's chair and moderator, Yankee Group's Chief Strategy Officer Berge Ayvazian, however had a different take. "I went to bed last night with nightmares," Ayvazian deadpanned. "I couldn't start this session without noting that the 4G revolution is coming amidst a meltdown--a global financial crisis... The failure of Congress to pass the bailout led to unprecedented 777 points and $1.2T loss... Why am I even talking about this? Bank failures, nationalizing major companies... What does this mean? What a day to launch the 4G revolution, right? It's a perfect day. In the midst of a crisis you launch a revolution."

For the next few years at least, 3G networks will be under constant improvement and so one might ask (as Pat touches upon in his blog entry of September 30th), where can the 4G label be used and when is it relevant? If HSPA+ will be WiMAX's biggest competitor while LTE is in the works, where does 3G stop and 4G begin?

One possible answer to this question was suggested during the summit by Huawei USA's Wireless CTO Charlie Martin. During his keynote this morning, Mr. Martin stated, "The ITU will specify which technology is and isn't 4G, but there is no doubt that 3G is converging toward LTE. When it comes to 4G the emphasis has been on bandwidth... in our WiMAX launches we have not seen mobility as a factor. Most of our WiMAX launches are for bundled services that include VoIP and basic broadband offerings. So, for Huawei it's generally very clear to us. We don't get in many super-competitive situations [LTE vs. WiMAX deployments]. It's almost always very clear cut."

Perhaps the view from the executive summit is still somewhat cloudy.

Are We Getting Carried Away With Wireless Generations?

We all see references to 2G, 3G and 4G wireless systems and sometimes we see references to 2.5G as an in between system, but now I am seeing 2.75G, 3.75G and even 3.9G (why not just say close to 4G or just under 4G). How can you have a half or three quarters of a generation? I guess if you just base it on data rates, maybe we can get these fractional generations.

What caught my eye was the Asus announcement that they are adding 3.75G wireless to their new laptops due out in October 2008. They state download rates of 7.2 Mbit/s and upload rates of 2 Mbit/s which is very good, but it is really just HSUPA technology so why not just call it that. Maybe it is not as elegant as 3.75G.

It took a very long time to develop systems from 2G to 3G, so I can see why we have the 2.5G but anything beyond that is getting carried away in my book. But I guess it is progress as long as the numbers keep getting larger!

MATLAB available (with purchase)

On Wednesday of this week, Agilent Technologies and The MathWorks announced the availability of MATLAB with the purchase of Agilent's EXA, MXA, or PSA signal analyzers.

Hmmmmm.... what does this mean? Are they giving away a seat of MATLAB with the purchase of one of these high-performance analyzers? Well, no. One has to read this press release very closely to figure out what is being offered.

Agilent and The MathWorks are making MATLAB available as a purchase option when buying one of these signal analyzers. I don't know how difficult it was to purchase MATLAB in the past, but I suppose this has the benefit of reducing the number of purchase requests you need to submit to your evil purchasing department. In that sense it is good news.

It's also good news to see two big companies we rely on for our product development collaborating at any level. So while our wishful thinking was for a free copy of MATLAB, we will still be grateful that Agilent and The MathWorks see the benefits of working together for the sake of their customers.

Citing that ,"The combination of Agilent signal analyzers and MATLAB data analysis software enables engineers to confidently analyze, visualize, demodulate, and filter signals that would otherwise be very difficult or impossible to do. ", the two companies felt the agreement would provide high-quality instrumentation and data analysis software from a single source.

Here are the details:


* The MATLAB Basic Signal Analysis Package provides an introductory software package for configuring and controlling Agilent instruments and performing basic signal and visualization tasks from the MATLAB environment.

* The MATLAB Standard Signal Analysis Package adds functionality for filtering signals and analyzing modulation schemes.

* The MATLAB Advanced Signal Analysis Package adds functionality for advanced filter design methods and radio frequency (RF) component analysis.


For additional information or to purchase MATLAB software with Agilent EXA, MXA, and PSA signal analyzers, visit www.agilent.com/find/N6171A. and don't forget to tell them the Journal sent you!!!

G1 Versus iPhone 3G - The Great Cell Phone Fight Has Begun!

It this corner, we have the champion, Apple's iPhone 3G, and in the other corner we have the new contender, Google's (and its partner's) Android phone. Well, everyone is buzzing now after the release of the first Android phone with T-Mobile's G1. The initial reviews are in and they seemed to be mixed. The G1 has a lot of nice features and great potential with its open platform. But the G1 does not have some key features like Exchange support so that counts it out of the corporate board room (for now). One key to Apple's success is its great music integration with iTunes, so I believe the key for Android is its alliance with Amazon to provide DRM free music. Could be the weapon that wins or loses the war!

I purposely left out the Blackberry which in its own right is a very functional device but it is not intended for the same audience as the iPhone and G1, in my opinion. For us in the wireless industry, it all means that we have to keep cramming more and more into the ever shrinking phone. What do you think?

2008 European Microwave Week

European Microwave Week (EuMW) is coming up at the end of Oct. in Amsterdam. As we gear up for the show and coverage, I noticed that there are quite a few spin offs from Aachen University of Applied Sciences including Mician, MiG, IMST and Heuermann HF-Technik. We have worked with Mician, MiG and IMST - all of them have very impressive products and now we noticed that Heuermann HF-Technik also has developed some interesting products such as lap timing microwave devices for racing applications. Quite an impressive incubator of new companies coming out of Aachen University indeed.

Our September issue is dedicated to complete coverage of EuMW with articles covering the conference and exhibition plus a historical look at EuMW and the industry in Europe. We also have articles covering Amsterdam highlighting places of interest, how to get around and where to eat. We will also be beginning our Online Show Daily coverage of the show beginning in Oct. here.

We also invited our readers of the magazine in Sept. to join in here on the blog and comment on any interesting events or places to visit in Amsterdam. Please post your comments below!

Microwave will ease '4G' backhaul strain

According to wireless technology leader, Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), high-capacity microwave links could provide relief to the strain felt by backhaul infrastructure, as high data throughputs and subscriber demand consume network capacity. RFS Area Product Manager, Asad Zoberi sees backhaul capacity as a likely bottleneck unless the networks (traditional T1 lines, opitical fiber and mircowave radio links) are upgraded. Zoberi is an advocate for microwave networks as they are less costly and far quicker to install.

Accommodating the higher-capacity services opens the way for innovative system architectures in microwave backhaul networks. Dual-polarized antennas double the capacity of the antenna system. Moreover, the superior interference characteristics of ultra-high performance antennas allow the installation of additional antennas on existing sites as new microwave backhaul systems are deployed. Zoberi expects two sections of the E-band spectrum, which are available between 71 and 86GHz, to come into frequent use in 2009. Trial systems have already been deployed. Using 1- or 2-foot antennas, E-band microwave systems provide 200 to 600Mbit/s capacity over distances up to two miles.

According to Zoberi, the growing demand for enhanced wireless data services to be available ‘anytime and anywhere’ is increasing pressure on operators to re-assess their backhaul infrastructure--with higher capacity the key. “For the network operators, the expression ‘time is money’ rings true,” he said. “Quick to install, high-capacity microwave systems offer a flexible and reliable solution to the backhaul dilemma as we embark on the next steps of wireless evolution.”

Perhaps some "Optical Fiber Guys" would like to argue their case for superiority in this area. We're all ears.

E-Ink Cover for Esquire Magazine

By now most people have heard of or seen the 75th anniversary issue cover of Esquire magazine with the E-Ink display that flashes messages electronically (see link to Engadget video above). But why is this interesting to the RF and microwave community? Well, the future E-Ink technology might enable electronic newspapers or e-books to be transmitted via wireless to your piece of E-Ink "paper" in real time. Imagine picking up your E-Ink sheet each day off the kitchen table and seeing the latest news from your favorite newspaper or reading your e-book on the way to work. What an Eco-friendly technology that could save massive amounts of trees each year.

It could become the new display technology that is easy to read for more complicated articles or even videos rather than your small cell phone or Blackberry display. E-books do not seem to have caught on yet probably due to the limited display technology that would allow us to read them easier like a real book or newspaper (the Kindle is probably the closest thing to date). What ideas do you have for your E-Ink sheet of paper???

CDMA2000 and 1xEV-DO worldwide users surpass 450 million and 100 million, respectively

The CDMA Development Group (CDG) announced that CDMA2000 and 1xEV-DO technologies have surpassed 450 million and 100 million users, respectively, worldwide. The total cumulative cdmaOne and CDMA2000 subscriber base has reached 463 million, growing 12 million net subscribers during the second quarter of 2008.

CDMA2000 subscriptions grew at pace of 19 per cent between June 2007 and June 2008, with the strongest growth coming from the Asia Pacific region, followed by North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific accounts for 52 per cent of the global CDMA market, adding more than 51 million new CDMA2000 subscribers during the same period. North America (including the U.S. and Canada) saw an addition of over 18 million new CDMA2000 users over the year and, with 144 million subscribers, CDMA now accounts for more than 51 per cent of the wireless market in the region. Europe, the Middle East and Africa added more than 13 million CDMA2000 subscribers in the past year, more than doubling its subscribers at a 142 per cent growth rate.

Operators added almost 25 million EV-DO users from June 2007 to June 2008, representing a 33 per cent annual increase. The CDMA2000 1xEV-DO broadband solution has 123 operators in 62 countries offering high-speed CDMA services. Up to 44 of these operators have deployed CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev. A networks to offer mobile broadband services, and another 36 operators are in the process of deploying the solution. CDG says that EV-DO is growing the fastest among North American operators, gaining more than 17 million subscribers at a 46 per cent growth rate. Europe, the Middle East and Africa saw the number of EV-DO subscribers triple over the past year, while Latin America and Asia Pacific users increased by 29 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively

Wilmington, N.C. - the first major city to permanently switch TV broadcasts from analog to digital.

Wilmington, N.C., has become the first major city to permanently switch TV broadcasts from analog to digital. Most of the country will make the transition to digital TV on Feb. 17.

A crowd of media, elected officials and curious residents packed Wilmington's City Hall on Monday to watch the mayor and the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission flip a 7-foot mock switch.

The change from analog to digital jump-starts the FCC's campaign for the national transition in February. The commission is now focusing on cities with more than 15 percent of the population watching over-the-air television signals.

Over the past four months, the FCC has been at senior centers, retail outlets, festivals and farmers markets with booths touting the transition. The local airwaves were blanketed with public service announcements, but still people weren't ready.

College students were at local television stations trying to help confused viewers who started calling minutes after the switch at noon Monday. According to reports, the switch over did not go without incident for a number of television viewers. The main objective of the excercise was to identify likely problems for average viewers when the switch occurs. Based on this "experiment", a certain amount of confusion is to be expected. Hopefully, the glitches can be worked out in time for the nationwide switch.

2007 GaAs Device Manufacturers Rankings - not much surprise here

Last week the GaAs device manufacturer rankings report came out from Strategic Analytics for 2007. RFMD, Skyworks and Triquint were the top 3 and represent 50% of the $3.6 billion market. I was surprised that the market grew by 17% year on year. North American companies, also including Avago and M/A-COM, accounted for 7 out of the top 10. The largest Japanese manufacturer was Mitsubishi Electric joined by Eudyna in the top ten and the largest European manufacturer was UMS at #12. Taiwan manufacturer Win semiconductor's revenue grew by over 50% year on year as they entered the top 10.

The top 3 are no surprise but the growth of Win is pretty impressive while the lack of more European manufacturers is disappointing for the industry there. We will see how the increase of LDMOS and GaN in the markets affects the GaAs manufacturers in the future.

Nortel Demonstrates Mobile 4G HDTV

I read in the news last week that Nortel Networks has achieved the first high capacity Long Term Evolution(LTE) handoff between cell sites at 100 km/hr (62 mi/hr). During a recent test at a development center in Ottawa, the company was able to maintain a high-definition video stream to a handset while driving in a car and was able to travel between cell sites. The company used Nortel's LTE radio, network gear, and a prototype 4G LG Electronics handset to demonstrate the handoff.

This sounds impressive and bodes well for future broadband services but we don't even have good 3G coverage here in the US (the problems with the iPhone 3G are a prime example), and I am not sure TV services in a car is a good idea with all of the other distractions. What do you think?

Smart Tires Use RFID for Real Time Monitoring

So I was listening to one of my favorite Tech podcasts from CNET.com and heard that Pirelli has a new sensor embedded tire called Cyber Tyre that uses RFID for real time monitoring of tire data such as temperature and pressure, vertical load on the tire, dimensions of the footprint, etc. This data is transmitted to the automobile electronic systems and can be used to improve safety and performance by interacting with the ABS and traction control systems. It can quickly communicate blowouts so the car can react faster or under inflation to improve fuel economy.

I have heard of many cool applications for RFID from tracking medical instruments to automated grocery checkout to smart mirrors that tell you what clothes will match the ones you are trying on. It seems like RFID has hundreds of neat applications but most are very slow to take off. Why do you think these implementations are taking so long to be realized?

Let's talk DC

Sure... we're RF and microwave guys but we still have to power our devices with DC. So it is of interest that Energizer (the bunny people) are introducing a new premium alkaline battery sized for several of the wireless devices, which our industry is responsible for. The new Energizer AAAA premium alkaline battery targets bluetooth headsets, noise canceling headsets and remote controls/sensors among various miniaturized consumer electronics. Since we have been asked to shrink the size of our components for years, it's nice to see our counterparts from the battery world step up to the plate to do likewise.

These ultra-small batteries are designed specifically for single purpose devices with generally decreasing power requirements (50mw or lower). Whereas Li Ion and AAA alkaline batteries are used in many of these devices today, the new AAAA lowers cost for devices required to reach the mass consumer market while decreasing size and power requirements.

How small? Hey, what can we say, these guys are tiny: 40% smaller than AAAs at 2.3 cc's, 20% thinner with diameter at 8 mm, 43% lighter at 6.5 grams. They offer 11 hours of runtime vs. 28 hours for the AAA (operating at 50mW). Several OEMs have already adapted the batteries in their products (ex. the Jabra BT2040 Bluetooth Headset, which doesn't rely on charging).

The Energizer folks are focused on "targeted" global distribution, looking to achieve broad distribution as rapidly as possible, working with OEM partners to lead consumers to the AAAA at the retail level.

The AAAA battery, coming to a wireless consumer product near you?

IEEE EMC 2008 - Detroit, MI

I am here at the IEEE EMC 2008 Symposium in Detroit, MI and the attendance seems relatively light but the quality of attendees very good. Three companies are anchoring the exhibition as you enter; AR, ETS Lingren and Rohde & Schwarz. From a RF/microwave perspective, AR is featuring its high power amplifiers such as its 700 W .8 to 4.2 GHz CW, 120 W 4 to 8 GHz CW and 20 W 10 to 20 GHz CW units. ETS Lingren and R & S are actually overlapping their booths showing how they can combine their hardware and software to create complete system solutions for various industries such as automotive EMC solutions. ETS Lingren also is featuring their wide range of antennas and R & S is showing off their ESL EMI test receiver for cost conscious users who want to perform precise precompliance and diagnostic measurements up to 3 or 6 GHz.

The technical program is very strong with various workshops and a wide range of technical conference subjects including design, modeling/simulation, measurement/test, shielding and product safety. Next year the event will be in Austin, TX and hopes to expand more each year.

Cell Phone Radiation - Are You Concerned?

For the last couple of weeks, there has been a great amount of discussion about the possible risk that cell phone radiation can cause brain tumors since the head of a prominent cancer center released a letter to the faculty recommending that everyone limit their use of cell phones, especially children (Here is a link to the ABC news coverage on the story). He recommends that children not use them at all (except for emergencies) and that adults should reduce exposure levels as much as possible (limited use or always use Bluetooth devices). He says there is no data that proves there is a risk but since we are not sure, we should be safe. He is basing his alarm on unpublished data which will take too long to make public.

There have been many studies and no link has been found. The FCC does limit the radiation levels of cell phones to a maximum specific absorption rate (SAR) of 1.6 W/kg (European limits are 2.0 W/kg). You can find the measured SAR values for many cell phones on CNET's website.

What do you think? Are cell phones really dangerous to our health?? Let's hear from some technical experts about the subject!

Upcoming RFID Webinar

This past week we were extremely pleased to sign up Tektronix and Analog Devices as co-sponsors for the upcoming RFID UHF Tag webinar (August 19th - visit Microwave Journal to sign up). Our goal for these technical webinars has been to find sponsors that offer products and/or services related to the webinar topic. While serving the needs of the advertiser, this also provides a service to the webinar attendee. One of the most valuable aspects of these webinars is that they are presented by individuals with real-world experience. Sponsorship by commercial companies with the relevant technical know-how and products that address the needs being discussed, furthers the goals of these events. That is -- to provide you with practical, high-quality information.

I became aware of the RFID measurement solution offered by Tektronix through the dedicated RFID page on their web site . Here they have tutorials, application notes and more. Engineers designing RFID systems and devices must characterize and troubleshoot complex transient RF systems while still meeting the tight time to market deadlines. Tektronix Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers enable engineers to quickly solve RFID measurement problems with their unique Discover, Trigger, Capture, Analyze capabilities. More details are available at the site mentioned above.

Click here to find out more >>

Analog Devices has a long and successful connection to the RFID world with a family of products including the ADF9010, which targets applications that operate in the 900 MHz frequency range, including RFID readers, industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band radio communications devices, professional mobile radios, cellular base stations and RF-over-coax applications.

I am looking forward to joining you at this next webinar. Many attendees typically download the speaker’s presentation for archiving. Additionally, I encourage everyone to check out the information from our sponsors and download what’s relevant to your needs.

Tyco Electronics sells off the last piece of the M/A-COM components group

Tyco Electronics has sold off the last remaining piece of the original M/A-COM components and sub-systems group this week and only retains the land mobile radio group. Autoliv of Sweden has purchased the automotive sensor group for $42 million and a few months ago Cobham announced that they will purchase the military and commercial RF/microwave groups. Once the Cobham purchase is complete, they plan to sell off the commercial group. Tyco Electronics seems satisfied to retain the radio group which has the multi-billion dollar New York state public safety radio network contract and is expected to continue to grow at a rapid rate.

M/A-COM has been a pioneer in RF/microwave technology for over 50 years, and I hope that the brand name is carried on by at least one of the groups. Autoliv probably has no reason to do that but Cobham and whoever takes over the commercial group could probably benefit from the branding.

As an ex-employee, it is kind of sad to see it broken up but hopefully the heritage will live on.