Cavium, a provider of semiconductor products enabling intelligent processing, and Quortus, the company transforming core network functionality into edge-based applications, have announced a partnership to embed Quortus’ software Evolved Packet Core (EPC) on Cavium’s OCTEON Fusion family of System-on-Chip (SoC) processors for small cell base stations.
The combination of Cavium’s OCTEON Fusion processors, LTE stack software and low power, low cost eNodeB designs with Quortus’ highly efficient, fully featured EPC software turns small cells into extremely-portable, standalone rapidly-deployable mobile networks for site-specific uses such as public safety, emergency services and military applications.
This allows the private network to operate without any connection to a remote centralised core enabling new deployment paradigms.
The OCTEON Fusion family of SoCs is a small cell ‘base station-on-a-chip’ product line, providing hardware acceleration specifically designed for LTE and 3G small cells. Cavium’s small cell solutions include complete software implementations (PHY + stack) and manufacturable hardware designs.
By embedding Quortus’ EPC on the OCTEON Fusion processor, the entire functionality of a mobile network can be held on the same chip; this means that a single small cell can become a highly portable mobile network. Furthermore, placing the radio and core layer on the same chip reduces the complexity of interaction between both layers, enabling the implementation of advanced functionality such as meshing, macro mobility, and satellite backhaul optimisation features in a more efficient way.
This enhanced portability – with no loss of functionality – provides a solution tailored to the needs of the public safety and military markets. Often for first responders, existing communications and power infrastructure can be insufficient or comprised. In this case an easily-deployed, self-contained network is called for. The combination of Cavium’s OCTEON Fusion with Quortus’ EPC makes such a solution a reality; one that boasts the portability and flexibility to be rapidly deployed wherever it is needed, even at the network edge.
‘Cavium has demonstrated its leadership in LTE small cell technology through volume commercial deployments of OCTEON Fusion-based eNodeBs worldwide,’ said Raj Singh, General Manager of Cavium’s Wireless Broadband Group. ‘We are focused on offering deployment-ready hardware and software solutions to our OEM and ODM customers. By partnering with Quortus we are able to leverage their core network expertise to offer a complete mobile network solution – radio and core – all in one box.’
