Broadcom Announces Advanced Development Platform for Small Cell Base Stations

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile World Congress 2013

News Highlights:

• Scalable small cell development platform for multiple radio access technology networks
• Enables OEMs to easily and cost-effectively design platforms for a range of deployment options
• Modular, highly integrated design

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today announced a scalable small cell development platform for multiple radio access technology (RAT). The platform integrates all the hardware and software components required to accelerate the development and deployment time of small cell base stations. Visit Broadcom @ Mobile World Congress for more news.

As carriers, content service providers, and wireless and enterprise infrastructure OEMs address growing coverage and capacity needs, they are increasingly deploying small cells to meet demand. Broadcom's scalable small cell development platform simultaneously supports 3G, 4G LTE and WiFi offload capabilities for greater than 200 users in response to the emerging trend toward high-capacity Multiple Radio Access Technology (multi-RAT) networks. The platform's modular design and integrated hardware components allow OEMs to design small cell base stations optimized for a range of deployment options, while a pre-integrated software ecosystem enables OEMs to ensure faster time-to-market and lower design costs.

"Our customers are looking for both cost-effective and capability-rich solutions" said Eric Hayes, Broadcom Vice President of Marketing, Processor and Wireless Infrastructure. "This platform demonstrates Broadcom's ability to combine technology innovations from a number of areas to deliver a complete offering to the market that no other company can provide. Now customers can rapidly develop solutions to enable new revenue generating and performance enhancing services."

The platform is the first to combine the state-of-the-art XLP-208 multicore processor, which was engineered by NetLogic, acquired by Broadcom in February 2012. It is now integrated with Broadcom's industry-leading radio solutions. The advanced software included in the platform enables important new features such as content caching, interference monitoring, self-organizing networks (SON), DPI-based services and security to be quickly deployed while maintaining line speed performance as operators and content service providers add new network services. Other solutions available on the development platform include Broadcom's complete portfolio of backhaul devices for optimized traffic management, including x-DSL, x-PON and wireless.

Market Drivers

• Demand for capacity growing due to increased use of mobile devices
• Reusing spectrum and deploying small cells can meet growing capacity demands
• Trend is toward multiple radio access technology ("multi-RAT") base stations
• Backhaul becomes exponentially more expensive as the number of cell sites rises
  • 10X to achieve desired capacity
• Caching content at or near individual cell sites improves the user experience, reduces latency/jitter

Key Features

• Simultaneous 3G, 4G LTE and WiFi capabilities
• State-of-the-art multicore XLP-208 SoC processor
• Pre-integrated software ecosystem including radio and networking protocol stacks, backhaul interface management software and bundled timing solutions
• Enables advanced capabilities including content caching, interference monitoring, SON, DPI-based services and security
• Broadcom's complete portfolio of backhaul devices, including x-DSL, x-PON and wireless
• Baseband processors including BCM43431 (11n), BCM43460 (11ac), BCM61760 (3G/4G)

Availability

Broadcom's small cell base station development platform is currently sampling and is slated for volume production in Q2 2013.

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About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a FORTUNE 500^® company, is a global leader and innovator in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom^® products seamlessly deliver voice, video, data and multimedia connectivity in the home, office and mobile environments. With the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and embedded software solutions, Broadcom is changing the world by Connecting everything^®. For more information, go to www.broadcom.com.

Broadcom^® , the pulse logo, Connecting everything^® and the Connecting everything logo are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU.  Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts

SOURCE Broadcom Corporation; BRCM Broadband