Samsung and Marvell Introduce New SoC for 5G

The SoC was jointly developed to improve 5G network performance.

Samsung claims SoCs are the key to unlocking 5G’s full potential. (Image courtesy of Samsung.)

Samsung claims SoCs are the key to unlocking 5G’s full potential. (Image courtesy of Samsung.)

On March 25, Samsung Electronics and Marvell announced the development of a new system on a chip (SoC) to improve 5G network performance, power efficiency and capacity. According to Samsung, the next phase of commercial 5G solutions will involve SoC-based radio technology with application-specific circuits that consume less power. This technology is more compact, simpler for deployment and more power-efficient for 5G solutions.

The SoC solution will be introduced into the market to Tier One operators in Q2 2021 and used in Samsung’s massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)and other advanced radios. The new technology supports both 5G and 4G networks, simultaneously increasing cellular radio capacity and decreasing size and power consumption up to 70 percent, according to Samsung.

“Our collaboration with Samsung spans multiple generations of radio network products and demonstrates Samsung’s strong technology leadership,” said Raj Singh, Marvell executive vice president Processors Business Group. “The joint effort includes 4G and 5G basebands and radios. We are again honored to work with Samsung for the next generation massive MIMO radios, which significantly raise the bar in terms of capacity, performance and power efficiency.”

Why SoC?

An SoC is an integrated circuit that incorporates an entire system on a single chip, including a central processing unit, internal memory, input/output ports, etc. As such, an SoC is capable of performing various functions, such as signal processing, wireless communication, artificial intelligence and more

The most important advantages of SoCs are energy and space-saving, resulting in cost reduction. An SoC provides many efficiency gains. The various components are strategically placed on the chip, minimizing the interference and interconnection delays and increasing the data transmission speed.

Massive MIMO

Samsung claims its massive MIMO solutions increase gigabit speeds and capacity for 5G mobile networks using 2.5GHz TDD-LTE spectrum. MIMO contains multiple-input and multiple-output antennas, allowing simultaneous transmission of multiple data signals over the same wireless channel. Multiple receive and transmit paths are created between the base station and the end device, improving spectral efficiency per cell and the number of users simultaneously served.

Samsung’s massive MIMO uses beamforming technology that focuses radio signals on specific user devices, reducing interference and improving the signal quality. Beamforming uses an array of antennas focused in the same direction to produce a strong signal directed only where it is necessary rather than broadcasted in all directions. It also enables millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies covering more distance with less interference from other signals.

Samsung’s massive MIMO radio. (Image courtesy of Samsung.)

Samsung’s massive MIMO radio. (Image courtesy of Samsung.)

5G represents the next generation of mobile networks, replacing LTE mobile networks. Data transmission is provided through mmWave and a large number of small cell stations. According to Samsung, 5G is 10 times faster than 4G LTE networks with download speeds of up to 20 Gbps. Latency is also significantly reduced from 50 milliseconds of current networks to only 1 millisecond, which means near-instant data transfer to and from mobile devices.

5G networks enable next-level mobile entertainment, allowing streaming of ultra high-quality videos and contents in crystal clear 8K resolution. It will also be possible to play high-performance games straight from the cloud. 5G will affect the future of driving and accelerate the development of autonomous driving. Building smarter cities will be more efficient with 5G networks, enabling seamless connectivity to different IoT devices.