Picocom, a 5G O-RAN (Open RAN) baseband semiconductor and software specialist, announced that its PC802 system-on-chip (SoC) will be used in domestic 5G equipment, and the company has begun to expand the domestic 5G-related market in earnest.

Picocom announced on the 21st that Wave Electronics, a 5G base station equipment developer and manufacturer, has selected its PC802 system-on-chip (SoC) for its new Open RAN product, the WEH47-TM24B radio unit (O-RU).

Picocom will demonstrate a live end-to-end demo of this new O-RU together with Wave Electronics at MWC Barcelona 2024, taking place in Barcelona, Spain from February 26-29 (local time).

Wave Electronics also announced that it will use Picocom’s recently launched small footprint, low power PC805 device, the industry’s first SoC for 5G small cell Open RAN radios, in its next-generation Open RAN products, scheduled for launch in the second half of 2024.

“We have been working with Picocom for a long time and are delighted to announce this close collaboration,” said Youngjae Lee, President of Wave Electronics. Wave Electronics has completed optimization and proof of concept for its new PC802-based O-RU equipment in 2023 and has been working with domestic private 5G network operators on interoperability and certification testing. Preparations are also well underway to introduce Picocom’s latest PC805 devices into Wave Electronics’ next-generation O-RU products,” he said.

Peter Claydon, President of Picocom, said: “We are excited to introduce Wave Electronics’ new O-RU featuring our PC802 device at MWC 2024. Even more exciting is that Wave Electronics has chosen to use the PC805 to fully unlock the potential of our O-RU-optimized SoCs for their next generation indoor and outdoor products. This is a testament to Picocom’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology and we look forward to continuing our collaboration to help our customers stay ahead in the ever-evolving 5G market.”

“Wave Electronics will begin operations in the domestic private 5G market this year and plans to expand into the global private 5G, CBRS, indoor and outdoor O-RU markets,” said CEO Lee Young-jae. “We have also completed the development and certification of a fronthaul multiplexer (FHM), providing a solution that enables customers to build their networks economically.”