One sparrow does not a spring make, but sparrows do have a habit of showing up just as spring is around the corner. So it is with Altera and Sequans Communications. The two companies are showing the first mobile WiMAX base station modem chip set supporting the recently ratified 802.16e-2005 broadband wireless access standard. Consisting of three Stratix II FPGAs, the Sequans SQN2110 modem chip set provides wireless OEMs with a ready-made solution for developing mobile WiMAX systems.

Altera's Stratix II FPGAs are used for the MAC and PHY layers of the 802.16e-2005 channel card. The chip set supports the first-wave certification profile stage as well as diverse hardware requirements and processing speeds. The FPGAs also have the flexibility and integration important for a new standard, especially as each new wave will likely include new certification profiles and new functions.

"Compared to fixed logic implementations, FPGA-based products offer superior design flexibility," Arun Iyengar, senior director of Altera's wireless business unit, correctly points out. "This is particularly valuable for reducing risk when designing to evolving standards. By partnering with leading intellectual property providers such as Sequans, our customers now have immediate access to a rapid-response solution for new wireless protocols and services."

For more on Stratix II FPGAs:
- read this news release