Symmetry Selects DSP Platform for GPRS Infrastructure Designs

Carrollton, TX-based Blue Wave Systems has landed a design win from San Jose, CA-based Symmetry Communication Systems. In an agreement released yesterday, Symmetry said it has selected Blue Wave's CPCI/C6400 CompactPCI platform for use in a wireless system architecture. Specifically, Symmetry will use this CompactPCI board to deliver a solution that allows GSM operators to provide General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) functionality to their current network designs.

The CPCI/C6400 (see figure) is a CompactPCI board optimized for resilient multi-channel processing applications such as those used in wireless base stations. The board offers a combination of network interfaces, dedicated real-time system controller and four Texas Instruments TMS320C6201 processors.

Symmetry plans to use Blue Wave's CPCI/C6400 product during the development of CompactPCI solutions for GPRS infrastructure designs.

When combined, the four 200 MHz 'C6201 DSPs provide a peak processing capability of 6400 MIPS. Each processor has exclusive access to a bank of up to 16 MB of single wait-state SDRAM and 512 KB of zero wait state SBSRAM connected via the external memory interface (EMIF).

The two serial ports of each DSP are connected to a Lucent T8100 switch array. This switch provides an ECTF H.110-compliant interface between the 'C6201 processors and an H.110 timeslot bus giving each DSP access to as many as 192 bi-directional channels of speech or data, each at a rate of 64K b/s.

The host port of each C6201 is connected to a integrated interface that includes a PCI bridge device, enabling efficient data flow between the DSPs and the resources located on both the local and the host PCI bus. The PCI-to-PCI bridge device provides interrupt generation and DMA facilities that allow host controlled data transfer.

Also included on the CPCI/C6400 board is a Motorola MPC860T PowerQUICC processor for real-time, on-board control, signaling, and data management. The MPC860T offers direct access to 2 MB of flash memory for embedded code and data storage, and a bank of up to 16 MB of single wait-state SDRAM.

The Symmetry offering
Symmetry develops wireless data-communications infrastructure equipment, including scalable solutions for GPRS and EDGE. Symmetry's gateway support node (GSN) also provides the core platform for third-generation (3G) wireless networks. The CPCI/C6400 board will integrate into Symmetry's GSN and provide rapid connection and fast data transmission rates for packet transfer with data compression, security features, and encryption.

Symmetry says its GSN is being considered by a number of GSM network providers as they look to add GPRS capability to their existing infrastructure. Volume delivery of the CPCI/C6400 for the GSN application is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2000.

For more information on the CPCI/C6400 or about the Blue Wave/Symmetry development agreement, contact Blue Wave Systems at 972-277-4600.

Edited by Robert Keenan