The new breakthrough – codenamed Pizzicato – unlocks the potential of the IoT, opening the door to a new dynamic way in which the predicted 100 billion IoT devices can operate together in a crowded radio spectrum. It will also enable the creation of 5G systems, with multiple radios and antennas.
The Pizzicato digital radio transmitter consists of an integrated circuit, outputting a single stream of bits, and an antenna. No conventional radio parts or digital-to-analogue converters are involved. Patented algorithms perform the necessary ultra-fast computations in real time, making it possible for standard digital technology to generate high-frequency radio signals directly.
Unlike ‘software-defined radio’ (SDR), there is no mix of analogue and digital components – the radio is completely digital, which could enable new ways of using the spectrum intelligently.
“Our first trial of the technology has...