Field-programmable RF

The FPRF (field programmable RF) is a class of microchip that combines elements of an FPGA (field programmable gate array) and a standard transceiver to deliver a multi-standard, multi frequency device.

The earliest use of the term comes Wireless Design Mag and it has subsequently been used by a wide range of electronics trade magazines to describe the emerging class of multi frequency and multi standard flexible RF chips.

History

The term was coined by the US trade title Wireless Design Mag to describe an emerging class of highly flexible transceivers. It has since been used by a range of English language electronics and telecoms trade journals from across the globe, including EE Times Asia, Electronics Weekly (UK), Digitimes (Taiwan), EE Times (US), and Light Reading (UK / US)

Some of the original designers originally cited the lack of universal communication standards and frequencies as a reason for developing the chip class. Existing limitations meant very few countries' telecommunications regulators adopted the same standard or bandwidth, this either required multi-band equipment that could be used in many countries or reduced the scales of economy that manufacturers could benefit from. The multi standard, multi frequency traits of the FPRF enabled a single design to be configured using software.

Devices with this new functionality were first demonstrated in late 2007 and early 2008. One of the first such devices was Lime Microsystems microTCA Broadband transceiver, demonstrated at Mobile World Congress in February 2008. This had a frequency range of 350MHz to 4GHz and was suited to WiMax and 3G.

Subsequent FPRF designs have subsequently emerged from a range of companies and, to date, the most flexible FPRF currently on the market delivers 300MHz to 3.8GHz and allows operation on a range of standards, including FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, WiMAX, W-CDMA, CDMA-2000 and HSDPA+,

Adoption

Communications equipment

Field Programmable RF technology has been adopted by a number of companies for a diverse range of projects. These include:

• Cambridge Consultants - disaster zone / emergency services communications
• Ubee Airwalk - software upgradable femtocells
• Fairwaves - open source base station}}</ref>
• IQT - military applications
• Agilent - wireless network testing systems
• Lyrtech - software defined radio

Open source

A number of open source platforms have been developed using FPRF chips. Two significant open source hardware project launches using FPRF technology took place in 2013. On Hardware Freedom Day, the Russian firm Fairwaves launched, what it describes as, the "first industrial-grade open-source base station".

This was preceded by the Myriad RF project, which was launched in Beta mode in March 2013 as a "non-profit initiative... [aiming] to give both hobbyists and experienced design engineers a range of low-cost RF boards and free design files available for general use."

Citations

In 2011 a board using FPRF technology to deliver MIMO (multi-in, multi-out) technology was cited in the European Union / Seventh Framework Programme’s radio optimisation roadmap, Acropolis, which seeks to establish the key technologies for future software defined and cognitive radio systems.