BLiNQ Networks adopts Picocom silicon and software for Open RAN distributed unit

The agreement to buy silicon and license Picocom’s 5G NR PHY Layer software products will enable BLiNQ to accelerate the development of its upcoming small cells products.

“We are excited to be working with BLiNQ Networks - I’m proud to be able to announce publicly that our silicon and software will feature in future BLiNQ small cell products,” commented Peter Claydon, President of Picocom. “This exciting news comes hot-on-the-heels of our PC802 PHY SoC market launch, and as we ramp up to its first public showing at MWC in Barcelona next week. PC802 is being designed into multiple products by several customers and will be in trials within the next few months.”

“Picocom’s SoC integrates well into BLiNQ Networks Private 5G Solutions, offering an ideal balance between traffic capacity and power consumption, and further simplifies component interfaces that other commercial solutions require,” said Radu Selea, CTO of BLiNQ Networks. “We are pleased to partner with Picocom and look forward to bringing our 5G NR O-RAN accelerator board to the market with the PC802 5G PHY SoC at its core.”

The Picocom PC802 5G PHY SoC is optimised for disaggregated RAN small cells. It employs the FAPI protocol (defined by the Small Cell Forum) to communicate with and provide physical layer services to the MAC and has an integrated O-RAN Alliance Open Fronthaul interface, based on eCPRI, to connect and communicate with Open RAN (remote) radio units (RUs), as well as JESD204B interfaces to connect gluelessly with commonly available radio transceivers.