The first low-power single-DSP chipset for baseband signal processing in IS-54B digital cellular telephones has been introduced by Texas Instruments. The new chipset cuts power consumption by up to 60 percent over competing solutions, allowing longer "talk time" and "stand-by time" between battery charges for cellular telephone users.
The chipset design will help make digital cellular services more affordable for consumers.
The three-device chipset supports the IS-54B dual-mode digital cellular standard used by providers of digital cellular services in the United States. IS-54B services are currently available in more than 30 North American cities.
"Digital cellular telephony is emerging rapidly in the U.S. and other countries, including countries such as China, Mexico, and India that are willing to expand their telephone networks without bearing the cost of adding and maintaining wiring," said Navdeep Arora, marketing manager for TI's wireless communication systems.
TI developed the new TCS320IS54B Digital Cellular Baseband Chipset with Teknekron Communications Systems, Inc. (TCSI), an industry-leading software developer of wireless communications technology. To provide the low-power, high-performance processing capabilities necessary for wireless digital communications, TI contributed its own leading-edge expertise in digital signal processing and mixed-signal integrated circuit technology.
The chipset consists of:
The DSP handles the voice and channel signal processing associated with baseband (non-RF) signals; the ARCTIC combines signal conversion from and to the RF subsystem with wideband data demodulation and other interface timing functions; and the VBAP converts signals to and from the microphone and speaker.
TCSI's software optimization in the chipset has greatly reduced the need for MIPs and memory, which has eliminated the need for a second DSP. Additionally, system partitioning has eliminated other components now used in competing solutions. Digital cellular telephone manufacturers benefit through reduced chip counts, space and cost savings, lower power requirements, ease of design, and reduced time to market. TI's chipset also shows bit-error-rate performances that exceed the IS-55 minimum performance specification.
Design documents for the TCS320IS54B chipset are available today. Development platform samples, including a microcontroller board, a radio-frequency (RF) board, and a baseband board featuring the IS-54B chipset, will be available to limited customers in the first quarter of 1995. Full production of the chipset is planned for the second quarter of 1995.
Planned U.S. pricing of the chipset is less than $50 in quantities of more than 100,000 units. Both 3.3- and 5-volt versions of the chipset will be available, with packaging in thin quad flat packs (TQFPs) and testing for commercial (0/70oC) or industrial (-40/85oC) temperature ranges. The suggested resale price for the complete development support platform is U.S. $20,000.