Lattice Semiconductor introduces gigabit baseband processors for wireless fiber applications

     Lattice Semiconductor Corporation, a leading provider of customized intelligent interconnect solutions to the market, announced that a new baseband processor is now available. The SB6541 baseband processor is designed for use in combination with Lattice's Sil6340 and SiI6342 RF transceivers, targeting fixed wireless access and wireless backhaul applications in urban broadband infrastructure, including LTE small cells and subway Wi-Fi access points.

     The demand for gigabit IP data into the home is growing, which is driving the growth in demand for fixed wireless broadband access. In addition, in the field of high data density, the deployment of subway Wi-Fi and LTE require gigabit IP data interconnection. The 60 GHz band is ideal for these applications because of its very generous bandwidth and the unique characteristics of signal propagation that enable high spectrum reuse, both of which are critical for next-generation wireless network architectures. These chipsets enable the industry's first complete solution operating in the 60 GHz band, while leveraging SiBEAM™ technology to meet data transmission requirements and improve network stability.

     Lattice's chipsets also support the beam control technology used in phased array antennas. The equipment used to achieve beam control only needs to be roughly aligned and quickly installed without technical expertise. Links between nodes in the network can be established without human intervention in changing environments or when the network is rebuilt. This greatly reduces installation and maintenance costs.

     Khurram Sheikh, Lattice Semiconductor's chief strategy and technology officer, said: "Our connected world is now dominated by 'wireless'. Data demands on the wireless side of the network have far exceeded the capacity of the existing infrastructure to meet the needs of users. "Combined with our SB6541 baseband processor and RF transceiver, Oems and service providers can now build a new generation of infrastructure that takes full advantage of the 60 GHz band to deliver network throughput of up to 2 Gbps."

     When used in conjunction with Lattice's Sil6342 RF transceiver, the SB6541 device supports Internet Protocol (IP) data rates of up to 2 Gbps, with typical rates of 1 Gbps over distances up to 300 meters. The device can be integrated with the RF transceiver through high-speed analog I/O and a digital control interface. At the same time, the SB6541 processor can be easily integrated into any system design using a single PCIe interface.