Picocom, the 5G Open RAN baseband semiconductor and software specialist, and Radisys, a global leader in open telecom solutions and services, are engaged in interoperability testing using Picocom's PHY Software Integration Kit (SIK), together with Radisys' 5G NR software which is compliant to the 5G SCF FAPI specification.
Picocom's forthcoming 5G NR Open RAN standard-compliant baseband offload SoC (system-on-chip) and carrier-grade physical layer (PHY) software are due on the market later this year.
The Picocom PHY SIK provides a functional software reference model of Picocom's PHY, according to 3GPP specifications, to enable developers to perform integration and interoperability testing of Picocom SoC-based Open RAN equipment before silicon availability.
Radisys' 5G NR software suite is compliant with 3GPP Release 15 with a strong roadmap to evolve towards Release 16. Radisys also provides 5G Core Network modules compliance to the 3GPP specification.
"We are delighted to be working with Radisys as an Open RAN partner as we progress to silicon. All the joint data brings confidence in our SoC being right the first time," said Peter Claydon, president Picocom.
"Enabling an interoperable multi-vendor ecosystem of Open RAN components relies on integration expertise and interoperability testing. We are pleased to work with Picocom to support more platforms to bring Open RAN solutions to market," said Munish Chhabra, head of mobility software and services business, Radisys.
Radisys' industry-first 5G Software Suite supports Open RAN architectures, enabling OEM and operators to deploy 5G capacity and coverage with faster time to the market. Radisys co-chairs the SCF's 5G nFAPI workgroup is overseeing the specification development.
Picocom's PC802 SoC is optimised for Open RAN small cells. It employs the FAPI protocol (defined by the Small Cell Forum) to communicate with and provide physical layer services to the MAC. It has an integrated O-RAN Alliance Open Fronthaul interface, based on eCPRI, to connect and communicate with Open RAN (remote) radio units (RUs), and JESD204B interfaces to connect gluelessly with commonly available radio transceivers.
For more information on Picocom's Open RAN baseband offload SoC and its PHY SIK visit: www.picocom.com/tech.
For more information on Radisys' 5G NR software suite visit: www.radisys.com/ConnectOpenRAN.
