US : Altera Corporation announced that Panasonic Mobile Communications has selected Stratix(R) GX FPGAs and the Nios(R) embedded processor to deliver critical performance-intensive functions for its next-generation 3.5G network base transceiver station (BTS).

This BTS will support high-speed data packet access (HSDPA), which provides significantly higher data transfer rates than were previously possible, enabling wireless network operators to deliver new and exciting data services to their customers.

To support this level of performance, Panasonic required a combination of integrated high-speed transceivers and microprocessor functionality that could only be met with Altera's Stratix GX device and Nios embedded processor. "Altera provided us with a solution that addressed our needs from a system-level perspective," said Masakazu Shobu, general manager of Panasonic's Node-B Development Group.

"First, Stratix GX devices met our performance requirements, due to their powerful digital signal processing (DSP) blocks and memory architecture. Also, the maturity and excellent development tools for the Nios processor convinced us that it was ideal for handling the call control and bus control functions in our BTS baseband system. By enabling us to combine the transceiver and processor capability into a single device, Altera delivered us a solution that met our aggressive cost target, and allowed us to meet a very ambitious product development schedule."

With the growing demand for data services and mobile multimedia such as digital images, movies, and video conferencing, there is a corresponding need for higher data transmission rates to support such services. The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a collaborative project for global standardization of third-generation mobile communication systems, has specified HSDPA technology to address this need. HSDPA is a significant enhancement to wideband code-division multiple access (W-CDMA) and can achieve speeds of up to 14.4Mbps. As the leading 3G vendor in the world, Panasonic has one of the largest market shares in Japan's 3G/W-CDMA market, and is working hard to bring HSDPA technology to that country.

"Leading mobile communications developers like Panasonic require mature, reliable solutions to build the next-generation wireless network infrastructure," said Arun Iyengar, senior director of Altera's wireless business unit. "Altera offers a complete portfolio of solutions that enable the development of HSDPA-based base stations for 3.5G networks. Panasonic's choice of the Altera solution proves that the combination of Stratix GX FPGAs and the Nios processor is ideal for delivering the high-speed transceiver and advanced control functionality that the 3.5G BTS requires."