Digital Baseband Chipset Addresses 3G Air Interface

To address the third-generation (3G) air interface standard that’s been submitted by the U.S. Telecommunication Industry Association to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Qualcomm has introduced the MSM5000 Mobile Station Modem digital baseband hardware and software. The seventh-generation product is designed to support the proposed cdma2000 standard. The chipset is backwards compatible with existing IS-95A and IS-95B networks, providing a seamless migration path to 3G applications. But existing IS-95A and IS-95B handsets are also forward compatible with cdma2000 networks, allowing operators to quickly and cost-effectively introduce new 3G services for their IS-95 networks while maintaining existing wide-area coverage for all subscribers.The chipset and software combination exceeds the ITU’s 3G requirement for data rates in full wide-area mobility of 144 kbps by enabling data rates of 153.6 kbps on both the forward and reverse links. Compliant with cdma2000 Phase One, the MSM5000 solution gives operators up to twice the overall capacity of voice users compared with IS-95A and IS-95B systems through the use of features such as fast 800-Hz forward power control and new modulation and coding schemes. With support for Quick Paging Channel and a 24x searcher, the MSM5000 solution is said to provide up to a 50% increase in handset standby time. The software supports IS-95A, IS-95B and cdma2000, as well as packet data, a full Internet protocol suite, voice recognition, and many other features. The baseband chipset interfaces to the firm’s RF devices, which include the Q5312 analog baseband processor, along with the Q5500 IF receive AGC amplifier and Q5505 IF transmit IF amplifier, or with the IFR3000 and IFT3000 IF-to-baseband converters.