Icera announces first 4G LTE/3G/2G multimode platform and higher performance HSPA+ platform

BRISTOL, UK: Icera Inc., the software-defined semiconductor company, has announced availability of two platforms for multimode LTE and HSPA+ based on its new 40nm Livanto ICE8060 and ICE8061 soft baseband processors.

Icera maintains its leading edge HSPA+ and LTE roadmap advantage and continues to deliver the industry’s smallest solutions, due to its unique software-defined modem architecture.

Espresso®410 (based on ICE8061 baseband and ICE8261radio) is the first Icera platform to add 4G LTE in software to its high speed multimode HSPA+ / 3G / 2G technology, offering peak data rates of 50Mbps in up to 10MHz spectrum.

In early 2011, Icera will offer an upgrade to add 2G/3G voice, with 4G circuit-switch fall-back (CSFB) integration and a Radio Interface Layer (RIL) for Google’s Android operating system, enabling customers to build high performance LTE smartphones as well as tablets and mobile broadband USB sticks.

Espresso®400 (based on ICE8060 baseband and Icera’s proven ICE8260 radio) initially supports 21Mbps HSPA+, scaling to 42Mbps and beyond, delivering the fastest user experience and best network optimization of any HSPA+ chipset in real world conditions. The new platform also integrates a USB port and an SDxC controller, reducing the modem bill of materials and enabling even smaller and more cost effective mobile broadband devices.

Steve Allpress, CTO & VP Modem Software, Icera Inc., said: “Our soft modem architecture is an LTE game-changer, enabling early multimode LTE devices that are comparable with current HSPA devices in terms of form factor, power and cost. Icera’s software-defined modem approach is leading once again with performance and early availability of the latest air interfaces.”

Icera’s new ICE8060 and ICE8061 soft baseband processors are leading the industry in small form factor, cost-effective and energy-efficient modem chipsets for devices that operate on tomorrow’s networks. Scaleable up to 1.3GHz at low supply voltages, these devices deliver 3x the algorithmic computational power of Icera’s current 65nm generation.

Available in 8x8 BGA packages, they are the first in a new generation of 40nm DXP based chips which run all the 4G/3G/2G modem physical layer, protocol stack, drivers, voice codecs, echo cancellation, noise reduction and equalization in software on a single small die. The ICE8261 RF transceiver chip is offered in a 7x7 BGA package and is Icera’s first LTE/HSPA+/EDGE radio chip supporting LTE in US bands 4 and 17, in European Digital Dividend bands and in Japan’s band 1.

Icera is currently engaged with multiple customers who are developing products based on the Espresso®400 and Espresso®410 platforms, which are expected to reach the market in early 2011.