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SPECTRUM SIGNAL PROCESSING SOLVES CRITICAL BOTTLENECK PROBLEM FOR
3G WIRELESS AND TELECOMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE
Availability of 12.8 Gbit/sec. Solano(TM)Communications IC
to enable wideband processing
Burnaby, B.C., Canada - October 3, 2000 - Spectrum Signal Processing Inc.
(NASDAQ: SSPI / TSE:SSY), a leader in high density signal processing systems,
today announced its patent pending Solano Communications IC (Integrated Circuit)
is being made directly available to leading telecommunications companies.
Sampling today, the Solano chip is designed specifically to alleviate the
challenge of networking the many different signal-processing devices required in
sophisticated telecommunication infrastructure equipment such as cellular base
stations. By deploying Solano-based solutions, telecommunication service
providers can lower their infrastructure costs and improve and expand services
to consumers.
The Solano IC is designed for communications infrastructure vendors, such as
Nortel Networks, Nokia, and Ericsson that need to process massive amounts of
digital data in real-time. A chip-based solution improves the performance of
communications infrastructure equipment and could be used in such signal
processing applications as wireless base stations, voice-over-packet gateways,
routers, and PBXs.
"Sophisticated telecommunication applications like 3G cellular base stations
require multiprocessing. This is a significant challenge for most companies not
accustomed to dealing with the bottlenecks and compromises inherent in most
multiprocessor solutions. With the development of the Solano IC, Spectrum has
found a way for base station manufacturers to solve this problem," said Will
Strauss, President of Forward Concepts and a leading authority on wireless
infrastructure technology.
"The development of the Solano IC has already generated interest from the
wireless community. Spectrum's IC design capability has long been a competitive
advantage that we are now leveraging into our target markets," said David Hobbs,
Spectrum's Chief Technology Officer. "In addition to wireless communications,
the key technologies in the Solano IC are also directly applicable to voice over
packet applications, another major focus area of the company," he added.
About the Solano Communications IC
As wireless service providers race to provide more voice channels and data
services to their customers, the next generation of wireless solutions - known
as 3G or third generation - continue to evolve to meet these needs. To handle
the increase in users and services, wireless transceivers contained within 3G
cellular base stations require a combination of different signal processing
chips - such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), DSPs (Digital
Signal Processors), and FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) - to perform
various algorithms and control functions. This type of
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architecture allows the implementation of software-defined radios, which can
compensate for incompatible 2G and 3G air interfaces, thereby lowering the
infrastructure costs of the service providers.
However, one of the major problems that base station manufacturers face is how
to interface these different processors, as well as the receiver and
transmitter, without creating bottlenecks that would significantly compromise
the performance of the base station. Current solutions result in lower
processing density or insufficient data throughput, thereby increasing the size
and cost of base stations. Seeking a better solution, Spectrum developed an
innovative and proprietary IC specifically designed for communications and data
throughput that solves the bottleneck problem without compromising performance.
The Solano IC is ideal for implementation in 3G wireless and broadband base
stations.
Spectrum will also incorporate the Solano IC in its own off-the-shelf flexCommTM
wideband solutions. Available in 2001, the next generation of flexComm solutions
will use Solano ICs to interface the entire system of processors, resulting in a
wideband software-defined radio solution.
Spectrum Signal Processing is a leader in signal processing computer systems,
designing sophisticated hardware and software solutions for customers in three
key markets - Network Solutions, Wireless Systems and Sensor Systems. Spectrum's
website is http://www.spectrumsignal.com and the head office is located at One
Spectrum Court, #200 - 2700 Production Way, Burnaby, B.C., Canada. Ph (604)
421-5422; fax (604) 421-1764.
This news release contains forward-looking statements related to the Spectrum's
Solano IC, as well as the third generation wireless and broadband industries.
These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements made
within this news release involve risks and uncertainties, including base station
architectures, changing market conditions and the other risks detailed from time
to time in other company filings. Actual results may differ materially from
those projected. These forward-looking statements represent the company's
judgment as of the date of this release and Spectrum may or may not update these
forward-looking statements in the future.
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SPECTRUM CONTACTS:
Karen Elliott
Investor Relations
Phone: 604-421-5422 ext. 264
Email: [email protected]
Manuel Uhm
Marketing Manager
Phone: 604-421-5422 ext. 216
Email: [email protected]
