Small-cell SoC from Broadcom packs both baseband processor and transceiver

A new wireless SoC from Broadcom for small cell system packs digital baseband processor and RF transceiver for 3G femtocell residential access points (AP).

"As on-the-go content consumption continues to drive traffic growth, mobile operators must meet consumers' increasing demand for higher bandwidth without sacrificing quality of service," said Greg Fischer, Broadcom's Vice President and General Manager for Broadband Carrier Access. "Broadcom's BCM61630 SoCs deliver a low-power, cost-efficient device for residential small cells to leverage existing mobile infrastructure and deliver faster data speeds through a smaller form factor."

The new chips also integrate a multiband CMOS RF transceiver with GPS and full time sniffing capability while maintaining software compatibility with all previous Broadcom WCDMA physical layer and backhauling interface architectures. Embedding a high speed CPU and Broadcom's field-proven Layer 1 modem and peripherals, these devices provide a complete low power single chip solution for residential and small enterprise 3G small cell deployments.

Availability: Volume production for the BCM61630 is slated for 1H 2013.