Picocom and iCana sign strategic partnership on 5G Open RAN small cell reference platform

Picocom and iCana sign strategic partnership on 5G Open RAN
small cell reference platform

Companies to jointly develop cost-efficient and performance-proven 5G NR FR1
Small Cell RU reference designs


Bristol, UK and Taipei, Taiwan – Wednesday 26th April 2023 - Picocom, the 5G Open RAN baseband semiconductor and software specialist, and iCana, a fabless semiconductor RF component supplier for the wireless telecommunications infrastructure market, have announced a new strategic partnership aimed at leveraging their respective capabilities to jointly develop a 5G Open RAN Small Cell radio unit reference platform. The 5G NR FR1 small cell RU reference designs will enable customers to bring their products to market faster, with greater efficiency and more cost-effectively.

The combination of Picocom's innovative digital predistortion (DPD) technology, specifically crafted for small cells, and iCana's DPD-friendly 4 W, 8 W and 20 W power amplifiers, realised in GaAs and GaN technologies, provides an efficient solution with reduced power consumption, complexity, size, and cost while maintaining high performance and reliability.

Peter Claydon, Picocom president, said: "We're pleased to partner with iCana and create more opportunities for customers. Mobile operators ask us all the time to reduce power consumption and size. We are working with iCana on a new generation of Open RAN radio unit design to enable our mutual customers to do both. We've been in discussions and working with iCana behind the scenes for nearly two years, so we're excited to be able to announce the fruition of our work."

"We are delighted to work with Picocom on power-efficient small cell RU solutions," said Glenn Vandevoorde, iCana CEO. "Together, we will leverage the strengths and resources of both companies to provide a solution to the market with superior performance at a cost-competitive price point that can drive the expansion of small cell infrastructure."

Picocom and iCana were major contributors to the Small Cell Forum 5G NR FR1 Reference Design project, the results of which were published in December 2021-
SCF document SCF251.10.01:
https://www.scf.io/en/documents/251_5G_NR_FR1_Reference_Desi....
This reference platform builds on many of the principles established in that study.

The Picocom/iCana joint 5G NR FR1 small cell RU reference designs are targeted to be generally available in Q4 2023.


-ends-

PR Ref: PCOMPR016


About Picocom
Picocom is a semiconductor company that designs and markets open RAN standard-compliant baseband SoCs and carrier-grade software products for 5G small cell infrastructure. The company, founded in 2018, has R&D engineering sites in Hangzhou and Beijing, China, and Bristol, UK. Picocom founding members have significant experience and track record in leading teams designing baseband infrastructure products. Picocom is a proud member of the Small Cell Forum and O-RAN Alliance wireless industry associations.

For more information, visit www.picocom.com.


About iCana
iCana is a fabless semiconductor component supplier engaging in the design and manufacturing of RF IC solutions for wireless communication. iCana's primary markets are 5G NR FR1 and FR2 infrastructure together with automotive connectivity. By managing the end-to-end process from IC design through qualification and mass production, iCana is committed to providing unrivalled performance and reliability. iCana's headquarters is situated in Taiwan, with additional R&D centers located in Belgium, Singapore, and the United States.
For more information, visit www.icana-rf.com or email contact@icana-rf.com.


Picocom Company Contact
Oliver Davies
VP Marketing
Picocom
oliver.davies@picocom.com
+44 7973 659 231


iCana Company Contact
Henrik Andersen
Chief Marketing Officer
iCana
henrik.andersen@icana-rf.com
+886 227 851 339


Media Contact
Richard Howson
Temono for Picocom
richard.howson@temono.com
+44 7833 693 862