New Transceiver Enables 1.5 cm2 Radio For GSM, GPRS Wireless Handsets
Norwood, MA -- Analog Devices today unveiled a chip that shrinks the radio in cellular telephones to as little as 1.5 square centimeters. The new Othello-G radio chip for GSM/GPRS communications enabled a fully functional reference design with approximately 75% fewer components than its previous version and enabling a complete quad-band radio that, the company claims, is 30% smaller than anything available on the market. The Othello-G radio supports full quad-band operation and integrates virtually all the necessary components for a complete cellular handset radio design, such as voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) and the associated tank circuits, PLL loop filters, and power management. (Click here to download the product brief.)
"Because GSM is the world's most dominant cellular standard, it is more important than ever for the cellular industry to continue looking for ways to lower development costs," Christian Kermarrec, VP, RF and wireless systems, Analog Devices, said. "In established cellular regions, there is a need to lower the cost of adding new wireless features quickly, while in emerging cellular market segments it is important to ensure the availability of low-cost handsets to support continued growth. We believe our handset customers will be able to achieve significant bill-of-material (BOM) savings with the Othello-G radio."
The Othello-G radio (AD6548) is a single-chip solution combining all the radio and power management functions for an ultra-compact, cost-effective GSM/GPRS radio. The only external components required for a complete radio design are the receive SAW (surface acoustic wave) filters, power amplifier, transmit/receive switch, and a few passives. Othello-G features four fully integrated programmable gain differential LNAs (low-noise amplifiers) for full quad-band (GSM850/900/1800/1900) support. Othello-G uses a single integrated LO (local oscillator) VCO (voltage control oscillator) for both receive and transmit circuits. The synthesizer lock times are optimized for GPRS applications up to and including class 12. To dramatically reduce the radio BOM, the synthesizer integrates a loop filter and incorporates a complete reference crystal calibration system. ADI's Othello-G radio is available now.
The Othello-G radio complements Analog Devices' family of SoftFone baseband chipsets for wireless terminals. ADI's SoftFone chipsets are entirely RAM-based, thereby providing handset manufacturers with the flexibility to support changes in cellular standards and/or customize features and options for a wide range of phones by simply changing software and without the need to add new hardware. Together, SoftFone and Othello enable substantial BOM savings while maintaining flexibility, providing benefits to handset manufacturers and operators.
Source: Analog Devices