TI and Sub10 Systems collaborate on new backhaul solution for small cell base stations

Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) and Sub10 Systems, a manufacturer of point-to-point millimetre wave radio links, announced their collaboration on a differentiated and future-proof backhaul solution for small cell base stations. By using TI's KeyStone-based TMS320C6678 multicore digital signal processors (DSPs) in its new Liberator V100, Sub10 Systems is able to more effectively and rapidly meet the operators' challenges of improving resilience in hostile radio conditions.

"TI's KeyStone-based products are a perfect complement to our design philosophy," said Stuart Broome, CEO, Sub10 Systems. "We need a device that is powerful, scalable and flexible enough to support an expanding range of radio products while minimising the development time and cost. TI's C6678 multicore DSP gives us exactly what we want, including more processing power and on-board accelerators with higher performance and plenty of a design margin, allowing us to continuously innovate to improve the performance of our products."

Designed for use by mobile operators looking to increase network coverage and capacity, Sub10 Systems' Liberator V100 plays a vital role in the backhaul of mobile networks, connecting mobile voice and data traffic from the cell site to the high-speed core network. The Liberator V100 includes 'Snapback', a patent-pending innovation from Sub10 Systems, enhancing industry standard SyncE support and IEEE 1588 timing protocols to ensure superior synchronization reliability and speed. With network synchronization being such a critical function in the quality of service for operators, TI's high performance C6678 multicore DSPs allow Sub10 Systems' backhaul solution to re-sync quickly, if a connection is lost, at an order of magnitude faster than other competing solutions in the backhaul market. Together, TI and Sub10 Systems surpass industry-leading standards with the Liberator V100.

TI's C6678 DSPs offer Sub10 Systems access to devices that are high performance while still being power and space efficient. The unique strengths of the C6678 DSPs help Sub10 Systems meet the needs of the industry, including developing backhaul solutions small enough to fit on outside objects, like lamp posts, and maintaining power management. In addition, the C6678 DSP leverages TI's scalable KeyStone multicore architecture, bringing the most comprehensive portfolio of software and complementary support devices to Sub10 Systems. This enables Sub10 Systems to save time, resources and budget to focus on differentiating their products.