Company news
Date: 22 February 2006

Wintegra and picoChip announce 802.16e development platform

Scalable access capacity with multiple MAC support in a single device
Multiple sector capability simplifies Full Mobility Handover and reduces latency

WiMAX Summit, Paris, France – picoChip and Wintegra advance their partnership by announcing a development platform for mobile WiMAX that integrates picoChip's PC102 picoArray™ multi-core digital signal processor (DSP) running its IEEE 802.16e PHY with the Wintegra WinMax™ access processor programmed with 16e MAC software for transport and backhaul functionality.

In addition to providing complete and efficient 16e functionality, the development platform offers support for Advanced Antenna Systems (AAS) and Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), which is enabled by means of an optional software upgrade from ArrayComm.

WinMax features a programmable datapath that offers the ability to support multiple MAC entities on the same device. This allows simultaneous support for multiple sectors and thus dramatically simplifies Full Mobility Handover and reduces the latency as required by operators. The multiple MAC support also provides an important advantage in its ability to scale the access capability, allowing the support of both 16d and 16e on same platform.

CPRI variants and OBSAI RP3-01 control for remote antenna operation can also be supported by the architecture. WinMax’s integrated transport and MAC capability allows for capacity growth. This means that the technology is scalable, making it suitable for any size basestation from picocell up to multi-sector, multi-protocol macrocell capability.

The new development platform offers direct connectivity between MAC, PHY, RF and antenna subsystems for basestation design. A key advantage is that both companies offer fully tested software and vendor-independent APIs that permit rapid integration of these components, as well as additional system software with optional licensing of tools and source code. In addition to offering the same benefits of integration and interoperability testing as a standard basestation design, the picoChip and Wintegra platform offers a modular, scalable, open approach that allows OEMs freedom of choice in customizing and differentiating their systems, while maintaining the benefits of reduced time to market and field upgradeability.

Colin Alexander, Director of Wireless Marketing for Wintegra, commented, "We believe this is the first reference platform to provide a rapid and optimized route to bringing 16e to market."
Added Rupert Baines, VP Marketing for picoChip, “These designs are based on standard components, thus allowing equipment manufacturers to rapidly implement a wide range of 802.16e compliant basestation products. This reduces both cost and time to market, while still enabling flexibility and programmability to cover pico, micro and macro basestation architectures.”

About Wintegra, Inc.
Founded in January 2000, Wintegra is a fabless semiconductor company that enables communications companies to build the next generation of access networks. Its WinPath access packet processor family is used by many large telecom and networking equipment manufacturers around the world in a wide range of communications equipment that allows service providers to deploy the latest voice, video, data and wireless services to their end customers. Wintegra first sampled WinPath access packet processors in 2001, has been shipping them into production equipment since 2002, and first announced profitability in 2005.
For more information see www.wintegra.com.

About picoChip
picoChip, located in Bath, England, is dedicated to providing innovative, flexible wireless solutions to help equipment makers minimize time-to-market, costs, and system power consumption.

At the heart of the company’s offering is a scaleable, multi-processor baseband IC that combines the computational density of a dedicated ASIC with the programmability of a traditional high end Digital Signal Processor. The picoChip technology platform includes tools, development boards and reference designs, and proven IP for seamless integration with the radio frequency elements of a base station. Equipment based on picoChip technology will enable telecom operators to remotely re-configure and upgrade their equipment without the high costs of replacing obsolete hardware.

picoChip currently has a development team with a balanced mix of hardware and software engineers of outstanding ability and experience; spanning such diverse fields as communications system design, software development, computer architecture, digital signal processing, RF design, and silicon design.

The company was founded in September 2000 and is backed by AT&T, SEP, Rothschild, Intel Capital, Pond Venture Partners and Atlas Venture.