Neul has announced its first transceiver chip for 'white space' communications in 470-790MHz UHF TV bands.
Called Iceni, the chip is intended for secure non-line-of-sight machine-to-machine (M2M) communications.
Both 6 and 8MHz channel bandwidths are supported, and "adaptive digital modulation schemes and error correction methods can be selected according to the trade-off between data rate and range required for a given application," said the firm, which is a spin-out from Cambridge Consultants.
There is encryption, a memory-mapped parallel bus interface, and discrete interrupt lines that can be used for waking an external application processor upon receipt of a relevant frame.
Programmable I/Os are available for controlling the external RF front-end.
The firm aims to be a wireless services company, operating its own networks for healthcare, transport, education and heavy industry.
Devices with the Iceni chip can access these networks.
"Neul has white space networks on four continents and continues to deploy specific white space infrastructure around the world," it said. "Large corporate customers can achieve wide-area connectivity in areas where it was previously technically or commercially unrealistic to connect devices, for example open-cast mines, oil fields and remote utility plants. For telco operators, Neul’s M2M networks will free up capacity on 2, 3 and 4G networks."
It is promoting 'Weightless’ white space M2M communication specification.
White space communications involves using frequencies that are already allocated to licensed users, but are not being used for that application in the particular geographical location of the white space system, at that particular moment.
As such, they either need to 'sniff' the local radio environment, or consult a live maintained geographical database, and vacate immediately if a licensed user needs the frequency.
"Devices may need to rapidly vacate a channel if it is needed by a licensed user," said the Weightless Special Interest Group (SIG). "They must consult a database to be informed as to the channels they can use and must quickly move off these channels as required."
According to the SIG: "The FCC has specified 4W effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) for base stations and 100mW EIRP for terminals. White space devices must not interfere with existing users of the spectrum, predominantly TVs. Hence, the energy that they transmit must remain almost entirely within the channels they are allowed to use. The FCC has specified that adjacent channel emission need to be 55dB lower than in-band emission, a specification much tighter than most of today’s wireless technologies."
Iceni samples are available today to select partners to begin testing and development.
Source:
http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2013/02/13/55560/white-space-transceiver-from-cambridge.htm
