The arrival of self-organising wireless networks has taken a step forward following the announcement from picoChip that its new software reference designs provide the first integrated network listening (or sniff) capabilities for femtocells. The company claims its three designs will enable femtocells to detect WCDMA, GSM and TD-SCDMA networks.
According to Doug Pulley, CTO and co-founder at picoChip, the three new software designs target the company's single-chip femtocell device by automatically performing cell search and decode to enable self-configuration. In an all-3G context, they should permit handover between a femtocell and adjacent cells, and manage the handoff between a 3G femtocell and adjacent GSM base stations as users move in and out of range in a mixed 2G/3G network.
Separately the company's CEO, Guillaume d'Eyssautier, confirmed that it was about to close a fifth round of financing, having already raised US$71 million in four previous rounds from venture capitalists and other investors including AT&T, Intel and Samsung. d'Eyssautier did not reveal the size of the new investment, or whether the money was for a specific purpose.
For more on this story go to:
EE Times and Cellular News
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