NXP Semiconductors and Bell Labs, the industrial research division of Nokia, have announced that they are the first to create and demonstrate a universal access device that can be used to combine wireline and wireless access support. The device is capable of supporting wireline (cable, DSL/copper) and wireless (LTE, 5G) standards with a single modem. The research and collaboration between industry leaders on advanced prototype is on display at Mobile World Congress 2016.
In 2015, the companies announced plans for their collaboration in this area, and with this demonstration at MWC 2016, achieved their goal one year ahead of schedule.
The research demo on display at the Nokia booth incorporates two platforms using the same system on a single multicore processor integrated with parallel fixed and wireless channels, using common hardware components for both wireless and wireline functions.
Leveraging Bell Labs’ groundbreaking “XG-FAST” 10G DSL fixed line technology and a high capacity 5G millimeter-wave radio interface, the advanced prototype is capable of addressing future operator needs for converged, ultra-high capacity and connectivity to support any device and location.
The collaboration paired NXP’s deep understanding of advanced networking silicon and software with Bell Labs’ unmatched knowledge of fixed and wireless encoding technologies to develop the converged technology. The result is a disruptive, highly configurable access device that supports both high speed wireline and 5G wireless processing in a single NXP architecture. The technology is intended to speed and simplify the deployment of next-generation networks for service providers, dramatically reducing CAPEX and OPEX. It efficiently handles wireline and wireless 5G systems to meet L1 requirements for power efficiency, flexibility and performance. It also creates greater flexibility and agility in scaling converged networks to meet evolving user access, feature and application demands.
