LTE (Long Term Evolution) is already gaining momentum as the world’s most rapidly deployed cellular technology, giving mobile wireless broadband services to millions of users worldwide. Consumers are increasingly looking for always on, always connected mobile experience delivering high data rate services on small form factor mobile devices whilst at the same time expecting long battery life to minimize recharge cycles. To meet this ever growing demand for mobile data, the LTE standard has been extended to offer higher throughputs and greater efficiencies for mobile operators to offer these services. LTE-Advanced represents the next generation mobile broadband, and in turn throws the challenge to the designers to create highly power efficient mobile devices capable of delivering these services. ARM, the leading supplier of embedded processors, physical IP and inter-connect fabric, along with CEVA the leading supplier of embedded DSP cores propose a joint analysis looking at the design considerations that are required to realize the next generation of mobile wireless broadband devices.
This paper sets out by examining 3GPP release 10 standard (referred hereafter as LTE-A) which was ratified in March 2011 and is in turn driving the latest generation of user equipment designs. After looking at the standard we then develop an understanding of the particular design challenges in managing the constraints of throughput, low latency and low power consumption by presenting an industry leading solution which combines the high performing yet extremely power efficient technologies delivered today by ARM and CEVA.
Finally, and by way of a conclusion, we also look at wider system level design such as power saving modes, debug and trace along with the support of multi-mode operation which has become an essential feature given the wide and diverse adoption of wireless standards worldwide addressing not only LTE-A and LTE but also HSPA+, TD-SCDMA and other wireless technologies.