WILMINGTON, Del. and BRISTOL, United Kingdom, Jan. 3, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InterDigital , Inc. (Nasdaq: IDCC ), a wireless research and development company, and Blu Wireless Technology , a specialist in multi-gigabit wireless baseband system IP, today announced the successful completion of a first phase of collaborative development to explore millimeter wave solutions for small cell base stations and access points. The companies are currently in discussion to extend the collaboration.
The eventual demonstration platform is expected to enable operators to evaluate this technology to more cost effectively increase 4G and 5G backhaul throughput to satisfy their customers' ever-increasing demands for data, such as high quality mobile video. The platform will also be ideally suited to R&D exploration for 5G millimeter wave mobile access. It will combine InterDigital's multi-hop backhaul technology with Blu Wireless's HYDRA baseband evaluation platform, which was developed for 802.11ad WiFi (WiGig) systems and has been further optimised to speed throughput in backhaul applications.
Henry Nurser, CEO of Blu Wireless Technology, said: "This project builds on a previous, successful collaboration with InterDigital. The combination of the two research teams will enable a significant advance in the application of low-cost millimetre wave technology within the 4G and 5G mobile infrastructure markets and result in innovative system solutions for our customers."
Jim Nolan, EVP Innovation Labs at InterDigital said: "We have been impressed by the flexibility shown by the HYDRA System IP and excited by its potential. I look forward to a next phase of research focused on the technical challenges associated with 4G small cell backhaul and 5G networks."
About InterDigital's 5G Research
A key area of research in InterDigital's 5G plan is the use of millimeter wave spectrum for small cells in order to provide beyond 1000x capacity increase compared to today's wireless networks. The abundant spectrum available in these bands can be used for both backhaul and mobile access within small cell coverage. InterDigital is working with academic and industry partners across Europe on 5G millimeter wave innovations and proof-of-concept platforms. The opening of InterDigital's European Research Center in London early this year has accelerated the company's efforts to collaborate with industry and academia on 5G research.
For an overview of additional InterDigital 5G research, please visit the InterDigital Vault and enter the search term "5G".
About HYDRA technology
The HYDRA gigabit baseband provides a cost effective yet flexible baseband IP solution for applications such as WiGig, IEEE 802.11ad and gigabit millimetre wave backhaul and fronthaul. In addition to its flexibility and efficiency the modular parallel architecture of the HYDRA can be simply scaled to support implementations ranging from its current specification of 2 to 7Gbps, to 20Gbps and beyond.
BWT is already working with lead customers of its HYDRA System IP and a hardware evaluation platform will be available in Q2 2014.
About Blu Wireless Technology Ltd
Blu Wireless Technology creates and licenses its HYDRA family of multi-gigabit throughput baseband System IP to OEM/ODMs and semiconductor companies. Initial target markets include consumer WiFi and 4G telecom infrastructure. BWT also provides mmWave systems consultancy to companies in these markets. The company is headquartered in Bristol, UK, and has offices in Japan and US.
See www.bluwirelesstechnology.com .
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About InterDigital ®
InterDigital develops technologies that are at the core of mobile devices, networks, and services worldwide. We solve many of the industry's most critical and complex technical challenges, inventing solutions for more efficient broadband networks and a richer multimedia experience years ahead of market deployment. InterDigital has licenses and strategic relationships with many of the world's leading wireless companies. Founded in 1972, InterDigital is listed on NASDAQ and is included in the S&P MidCap 400 ® index.
InterDigital is a registered trademark of InterDigital, Inc.
For more information, visit: www.interdigital.com .
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