Energy-Efficient Architectures for 4G/LTE Terminals using Cortex-R Processors

This paper will focus on evolving standards and capabilities in next-generation cellular communications, delivering both mobile broadband and telephony. Maintaining acceptable cost and power consumption in these battery-powered handheld devices requires continued innovation in baseband processing. The authors present architectural choices for baseband processing, examine available technologies and present solutions using ARM Cortex-R processors and accompanying IP. New 4G/LTE handsets often employ Vector Signal Processors which places increasing demand on baseband protocol processors, the memory system and system bus architecture.