Communication Processors March on But 5G Demands Much More

Emmanuel Gresset, CEVA
June 9, 2017

Development is well underway on Gigabit LTE cellular communications systems that promise an order of magnitude increase in data transfer rates and 5G is close behind. Small cell access nodes will form an essential part of both systems but new communications processors are needed to make these a reality.

If there is one thing that the mobile communication revolution has proved it is that people love data. We can’t consume enough of it. And we want to access it across a range of devices in different locations and environments.

This situation has presented network equipment providers and operators with a wealth of business opportunities coupled with an equivalent amount of technological challenges. One way these are being addressed for the current, 4G, generation of devices is through the deployment of small cell radio access nodes such as microcells, picocells and femtocells. In urban areas in developed countries, saturation point is being reached for traditional cellular macrocell base stations due to environmental constraints. Small cells, concealed in lampposts and walls, are becoming the only option here. Tiny and hidden from view, small cells are able to offer similar data capacity to their larger cousins but, owing to lower RF transmit power, provide much smaller areas of coverage and user capacity individually.

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