A new Open RF Association (OpenRF) has been formed with a mission to expand the functional interoperability of hardware and software across multi-mode RF front end and chipset platforms into the 5G era. The consortium’s founding members include Broadcom, Intel, MediaTek, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Qorvo, and Samsung.
OpenRF aims to deliver an open framework that standardizes hardware and software interfaces without limiting innovation, while enabling total flexibility for 5G device Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to take advantage of time-to-market, cost, performance, and supply chain benefits. OEMs will be able to choose interoperable best-of-breed solutions from a multi-vendor ecosystem, while using the same RF front end with any 5G baseband.
OpenRF plans to:
- Create a set of core chipset and RF front end features and interfaces that will enable interoperability across 5G basebands while allowing innovation across vendors
- Build upon industry standards to maximize configurability and effectiveness of the RF front end
- Develop a common hardware abstraction layer enhancing the transceiver/modem and RFFE modules interface
- Define and develop industry-leading approaches to RF power management
- OpenRF plans to develop a compliance program to support a robust ecosystem of interoperable RFFE and chipset platforms.
Ongoing development of the MIPI RFFE specification, which has become the de facto interface for control of the radio frequency front end since its release in 2010, will continue to be coordinated within MIPI Alliance’s RFFE Working Group. OpenRF is currently working toward a liaison agreement with the Alliance.
David Archbold, Vice President of Marketing, Wireless Semiconductor Division, Broadcom: “One of the key issues facing mobile phone OEMs today is time-to-market, delivering leading edge products into a very competitive landscape in a timely fashion. OpenRF provides the framework to streamline and condense the OEM’s design cycle, from inception to product launch. This is a critical step to promote a pro-competitive environment, allowing OEMs to freely choose solutions based on performance, size and cost.”
