Intel partners with ADI to develop 5G radio platform

It is reported that Intel and Analog Devices Inc. (Analog Devices Inc. hereinafter referred to as ADI) are cooperating to design a 5G wireless network based on an emerging open standard, aiming to develop a flexible radio platform that integrates ADI's digital front end (DFE) Transceiver The capabilities are integrated with Intel's processor technology to help operators scale up 5G network deployments.

 

The radio partnership, announced Monday (Aug. 3), will combine ADI's RF transceivers with Intel's Arria 10 FPGAs to provide network developers with a set of design tools for developing much-needed 5G base stations, including power amplifier and integrated antenna.

 

As Chinese telecom equipment giants such as Huawei accelerate the rollout of 5G base stations, the ADI-Intel collaboration's technology is compliant with the emerging 5G standard of OpenRan, a standard for open radio access networks.

 

OpenRAN utilizes software to connect various network hardware. Some even argue that OpenRAN is cheaper than full 5G network packages sold by Huawei, Ericsson or Nokia. At the same time, OpenRAN also helps to promote the accelerated deployment of small battery technology.

 

The FPGA-transceiver combo is the latest of a growing number of new technologies emerging to advance 5G radio technology. Earlier this year, the United States launched a 5G software initiative that aims to establish open software standards that virtualize hardware and allow 5G networks to run on any manufacturer's equipment.

 

AT&T, Dell Technologies and Microsoft have signed on to the initiative, underscoring the importance of 5G software that is not limited by hardware. On the other hand, this also reflects the lag in the development of 5G equipment by major US companies.