5G Private Networks: Innovative 3GPP Small Cell Design

Arctic Semiconductor, in partnership with Skyworks and Synergy, has unveiled a cutting-edge low power private 5G New Radio (NR) small cell design that adheres to the latest 3GPP standards. This collaboration has resulted in the development of the Open 5G FR1 small cell platform, which boasts remarkable energy efficiency thanks to the utilization of the sub-1W IceWings 4x4 transceiver from Arctic, complemented by Skyworks power amplifiers and timing products, along with Synergy Design’s carrier-grade 5G vRAN software running on an NXP Layerscape processor.

The integration of Skyworks power amplifiers plays a pivotal role in the low power capabilities of the new 3GPP-compliant small cell platform. Arctic's innovative digital pre-distortion (DPD) model, coupled with intelligent algorithms, optimally harnesses the power amplifiers, resulting in an exceptionally efficient and low-power design. This strategic combination of technologies ensures that the small cell platform operates at peak performance while consuming minimal power.

The versatility of the open, universal small cell platform is a standout feature, as it supports operation across any 5G FR1 frequency band ranging from 600MHz to 7.2GHz. With two distinct variants tailored for bands n78 and n79, which are compatible with multiple countries, the platform offers flexibility and adaptability to suit diverse deployment scenarios and regulatory requirements.

Arctic Semiconductor made waves last year with the introduction of a small cell reference design featuring IceWings and an NXP LA12xx Layerscape ARM processor, manufactured by Compal. This successful demonstration underscored Arctic's commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation in the realm of 5G technology, setting the stage for further advancements in the field.

Speaking about the collaborative effort, Vahid Toosi, founder and CEO of Arctic Semiconductor, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “Our family of transceiver products provides the best RF performance in terms of noise and linearity with the lowest power solution that meets and exceeds all the 5G performance requirements in a cost-effective manner. We truly believe this will kick start a 5G private network movement.” The shared vision of Arctic, Skyworks, and Synergy is to revolutionize the landscape of private 5G networks, making them more accessible and efficient for a wide range of industries.