Arctic Semiconductor announced that its low power, high performance 4x4 transceiver IceWings is powering a new small cell platform that has passed 3GPP specification and will soon be available in mass production. In addition to Arctic's IceWings the platform includes Skyworks Solutions, Inc.'s (Skyworks) family of power amplifiers and timing products, as well as Synergy Design's carrier grade 5G vRAN solutions. This cost optimized platform enables service providers and private network developers to deploy custom 5G networks at scale, a pivotal milestone in 5G infrastructure development.

Private 5G networks offer unparalleled connectivity within defined boundaries. Embracing a 5G private network empowers enterprises across diverse sectors such as factories, ports, mines, and hotels with enhanced data transmission speeds and reduced latency, all while upholding rigorous control over the security and management of their customized network architecture. Leveraging distributed small cells, known for their efficient power usage, lays the foundation for these exclusive networks, resulting in cost reduction and enhancing the feasibility of such tailored solutions for businesses.

The 5G platform is one of the first open software small cell platforms with the highest performance, meeting 3GPP standard requirements at the lowest power consumption. The platform brings together best-in-class components from leading component manufacturers to offer the best coverage, lowest power consumption, and value-added features for a much lower cost of deployment. The open, universal small cell platform operates at any 5G FR1 frequency band from 600MHz to 7.2GHz. Two different variants of the platform are available for bands n78 and n79 working in multiple countries.

"Our solutions are architected to be able to easily integrate with performance- and cost-optimized, industry-leading components. For this solution we collaborated with key industry leaders Skyworks and Synergy to bring this platform to market and enable 5G deployment for private networks," said Vahid Toosi, founder and CEO of Arctic Semiconductor. "Our family of transceiver products provides the best RF performance in terms of noise and linearity with the lowest power solution that meets and exceeds all the 5G performance requirements in a cost-effective manner. We truly believe this will kick start a 5G private network movement."

Skyworks' power amplifiers (PA) are a key component to the low power offering of the new 3GPP-compliant small cell platform. Arctic's digital-pre distortion (DPD) model and methodology leverages the efficiency of Skyworks power amplifiers with intelligent algorithms, creating an extremely efficient, low-power design while maintaining the highest signal quality and uncompromised coverage.

"As a long-standing and significant contributor to the 3GPP standards, Skyworks' in-depth system knowledge and RF front end expertise has allowed us to develop best-in-class high efficiency PAs and ultra-low jitter timing solutions," said Eid Alsabbagh, senior director of product marketing, infrastructure at Skyworks. "Our complete portfolio of RF and timing products maximizes the data throughput and range of this design, enabling manufacturers to create cost-effective small cell products that best meet market requirements."

The small cell platform also includes Synergy Design's leading 5G Smart RAN solution, which delivers carrier-grade RAN performance while allowing a rapid time-to-market for the small cell platform.

"We are always looking for opportunities where our leading PHY and Software solutions can make a big impact. That's why we worked closely with Arctic to integrate our Smart RAN solution on NXP platform for the 5G market," said Krystie Chen, CMO, Synergy Design. "This new 5G NR small cell platform will enable 5G private networks deployments to grow rapidly, sooner than previously anticipated."

"Achieving 3GPP compliance marks a significant milestone for Arctic Semiconductor, Skyworks, and Synergy," said Brandon Hoff, research director at IDC. "Their new transceiver will enable telecommunications providers to reduce costs and power requirements for 5G, support enterprises in deploying private 5G networks, and offer cost-effective solutions for Fixed Wireless Access."