Technology Directions for Personal Communications Systems
 

Documents

Scott Gardner

A version of this white paper was solicited, edited for, and published in Wireless Design & Development.

The telecommunications revolution is fueling a rapid development of wireless technologies, supporting a portfolio of voice and data applications. With the advent of sophisticated baseband and RF/IF technologies, desktop and portable computing is no longer confined by the umbilical cord of hardwired home and office environments. This untethering of users from the global communications structure is an important step on the path to the information superhighway.

Oki Semicondutor has been involved with telecommunications products for over 110 years. Over this time, Oki has developed an extensive technology background and system understanding, allowing quick identification of new markets.

A major enabling technology, called personal communications services (PCS), is now emerging that simplifies the customer interface and wireless interaction. The seven Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) in PCS provide a number of viable alternatives for different end-user requirements.

Oki is therefore taking the initiative and addressing fundamental end-user needs by introducing the industry's first 3V semiconductor solutions for baseband and RF applications. Oki has targeted several of the popular TAG standards.

Oki also enforces one of the highest QA standards in the industry. Quality, coupled with Oki's extensive system-level experience, allows minimal circuit design constructs that translate directly into a low-cost solution.

By aligning state-of-the-art semiconductor processes with system-oriented solutions, Oki Semiconductor can address PCS applications and a profusion of wireless communications technologies, with 900MHz Digital Cordless Technology (DCT), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) yielding the most significant impact on the overall communications market.

What is PCS?

Personal Communications Services (PCS) refers to digital wireless communications and services operating at broadband (1900 MHz) or narrow-band (900 MHz) frequencies. Broadband PCS now addresses both cellular and cordless handset services, while narrow-band PCS focuses on enhanced paging functions.

Broadband services are commonly segmented into high-tier TAGs (for macrocells) and low-tier TAGs (for microcells). Today's cellular services are considered high-tier applications, because of their extended range. Low-tier TAGs are commonly used for low-cost, short-range communication applications.

With cumulative aggregrate growth rates exceeding 30% over the next five years, the communication sector is displaying the highest growth throughout the technology industries. Handset applications are clearly one of the fastest growing market segments in the semiconductor industry.

PCS has attracted a great deal of investment - over $7 billion in aution rights alone - because it promises hierarchiacal pay structures, and will provide many new opportunites for semiconductor suppliers, OEM manufacturers, and service providers.