With Pioneer’s first report on Commercial Software Defined Radio (SDR) focusing on macro base stations, the second report in the series looks at SDR in small form factor devices such as mobile handsets, handhelds, PDA’s, wireless broadband modems, and in emerging wireless device markets like picocell and femtocells. With all of these falling under wireless end-user devices, the report further explores the use of SDR in exciting end-user applications like automobile/vehicular communication and machine to machine communication.
All end-user wireless devices and applications have common needs, which is to support multiple air interfaces and multiple frequencies. With the number of air interfaces growing at a rapid pace, end-user device/application vendors are finding it difficult to manage bill of material (BoM) cost and minimize time tomarket. With each additional air interface and frequency there is an extra hardware component cost, larger hardware silicon area, higher power consumption and longer development times. As opposed to infrastructure equipment like macro base stations, end-user devices have shorter life cycles, possess size limitations, consume less power and be competitive in terms of time to market and cost. Although the end-user is unaware of the growing complexity in devices, which is directly related to the increasing number of air interfaces, vendors are acutely aware of the challenges that are being posed.
Multiprotocol Multiband (MPMB) SDR allows a common software based platform to support and adapt to multiple air interfaces and multiple frequencies with minimal or almost no change in hardware. Although SDR has been largely seen as a defense oriented technology, the next phase for SDR is going to be its adoption in commercial applications. Within commercial applications, SDR is expected to have a major impact in end-user devices and applications. This is because end-user devices like mobile handsets have economies of scale and have a significantly larger market size when compared to infrastructure equipment like macro base stations.
This report focuses on the technological innovations that are making it possible for SDR to be applied in commercial end-user devices and applications. These innovations include wideband and tunable RF components, soft baseband modems and reconfigurable processor designs. These innovations are being introduced by a large variety of component vendors who are specifically targeting the end-user devices and applications market. The report also touches upon the challenges facing SDR in the commercial world. One of main challenges is the fear of cannibalization of the traditional device replacement revenue stream due to the emergence of software based platforms that can offer incremental functional software upgrades.
In the end, the report aims to identify the market opportunity of SDR in commercial end-user devices and applications categorized by the following areas:
• Mobile Handsets/Handhelds/PDAs
• Wireless Broadband Modems (External and Internal)
• Picocell/Femtocells
• Automobiles/Vehicular Communication
• Machine to Machine (M2M) Communication
The report will also provide the overall market opportunity for commercial SDR, both in macro base stations and in end-user devices and applications.
Preliminary ToC
Chapter 1: Executive Summary
Chapter 2: Introduction
2.1. Technology
2.1.1. Baseband
2.1.2. RF
2.2. Market Analysis
2.2.1. End-user Applications
2.2.1.1. Mobile Handsets
2.2.1.2. Wireless Modems
2.2.1.3. Picocells/Femtocells/HomeNode B
2.2.1.4. Automobile/VehicularCommunication
2.2.1.5. Machine-to-machine communications
2.2.2. Drivers
2.2.3. Challenges
2.3. Purpose and Scope
Chapter 3: Vendor Profiles
3.1. SDR RF Vendors
3.1.1. Terocelo
3.1.2. Sequoia Communications
3.1.3. Bitwave Semiconductor
3.1.4. ASICAhead
3.1.5. Paratek
3.1.6. DataSoft
3.1.7. RFMD
3.1.8. Analog Devices
3.1.9. Tyco Electronics
3.1.10. Fairchild Semiconductor
3.1.11. Filtronic
3.1.12. M4S
3.1.13 SuperconductorTechnologies
3.2. SDRBaseband/Reconfigurable Processor/SoC Vendors
3.2.1. Icera
3.2.2. Morpho Technologies
3.2.3. Freescale Semiconductor
3.2.4. Nexperia
3.2.5. Infineon
3.2.6. Sandbridge Technologies
3.2.7. Picochip
3.2.8. NXP Semiconductors
3.2.9. Intel
3.2.10. IMEC
3.2.11 Qualcomm
3.2.12. Xilinx
3.2.13. Texas Instruments
3.2.14. Altera
3.2.15. Silicon Hive
3.2.16. Vanu
3.2.17. Coresonic
3.2.18. PACT
3.2.19. 3plus1
Chapter 4: MPMB SDR End-User Deviceand Application-Market Opportunity
4.1. Methodology andAssumptions
4.1.1. Forecast Model Techniques
4.1.2. Forecast Model Methodology
4.2. Base Forecasts
4.2.1. Cellular Subscriber Forecasts
4.2.2. Handset Forecasts
4.2.3. Wireless Broadband Modem Forecasts
4.2.4. Picocells/Femtocell/Home Node B Forecasts
4.2.5. Automobile Application Forecasts
4.2.6. Machine-to-machine Application Forecasts
4.3. MPMB SDR MarketForecasts
4.3.1. MPMB SDR Handsets
4.3.1.1. Units
4.3.1.2. Revenue
4.3.2. MPMB SDR Wireless Broadband Modem
4.3.2.1. Units
4.3.2.2. Revenue
4.3.3. MPMB SDR Picocells/Femtocells
4.3.3.1. Units
4.3.3.2. Revenue
4.3.4. MPMB SDR Automobile Applications
4.3.4.1. Units
4.3.4.2. Revenue
4.3.5. Machine-to-machine Applications
4.3.5.1. Units
4.3.5.2. Revenue
Chapter 5: MPMB SDR Overall Market Opportunity
5.1. Macro Base Stations
5.2. End User Devices andApplications
Chapter 6: Conclusion
Emerging Wireless 