SAN JOSE, CA, Mar 2, 2026 – At Mobile World Congress 2026, Altera revealed how its FPGAs and Open RAN reference solutions integrate with advanced radio systems. The company is working with partners to connect programmable logic with radio platforms for 5G deployments and early 6G development. The effort also includes Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) applications, such as satellite and airborne connectivity.
Altera and Broadcom Advancing Future-Ready Radio Platforms
Altera teamed up with Broadcom to complete interoperability testing between Altera’s Agilex 7 FPGAs and Broadcom’s BroadPeak SoC platform. The testing demonstrated high-throughput operation across wideband radio configurations using JESD204C connectivity at 32.44 Gbps. The collaboration combines Agilex 7 programmable logic with Broadcom radio silicon for use in advanced radio platforms.
The solution targets large-scale deployments and operates within specified power and thermal constraints. It supports high-capacity radio designs within defined size and reliability requirements. The BroadPeak SoC platform enables network operators to deploy wideband radios that incorporate RF features, beamforming and AI-assisted signal processing for 5G-advanced applications.
“As mobile networks evolve toward higher bandwidths, larger antenna arrays, and increasingly intelligent RAN architectures, the industry requires deep, open, and highly optimized partnerships across silicon platforms,” said Venkat Yadavalli, head of Altera’s business management group. “Our collaboration with Broadcom combines Altera’s programmable compute leadership with Broadcom’s world-class radio SoC technology to deliver scalable, future-ready platforms.”
Altera and Broadcom achieved interoperability between their silicon platforms for O-RAN 7.2x radio architectures. The platforms support configurations ranging from 8T8R to 128T128R and operate across 3GPP FR1 and FR3 bands. The design separates baseband and RF processing within the system architecture.
Vijay Janapaty, vice president and GM, Physical Layer Products (PLP) division at Broadcom, added, “By combining Broadcom’s industry-leading RF and converter technology for 5G Advanced and emerging 6G with Altera’s high-performance, power-efficient FPGAs and proven radio beamforming and L1 low solutions, we are helping infrastructure providers move faster, reduce complexity, and deploy next-generation wireless networks with confidence.”
Altera Expands Open RAN Momentum for Customized Innovation
NEC developed a 5G Massive MIMO sub-6GHz radio using Altera’s Agilex 7 FPGA technology. The radio increases network capacity and throughput and reduces power consumption by more than 40%, enabling Open RAN and vRAN deployments.
“Altera’s Agilex 7 FPGA and advanced NEC technologies enabled NEC’s 5G Massive MIMO Radio platform delivering leading compute performance for O-RAN, beamforming and layer 1 low-PHY functions that are critical for effective 5G deployment,” said Kazuhiko Harasaki, general manager of mobile access department, NEC Corporation. “By leveraging Altera’s FPGA-based platform, we were able to deliver the performance and efficiency along with the flexibility that operators need.”
Microelectronics Technology Inc. (MTI) developed macro high-power 4T4R radio units (RU) using Altera’s Agilex 5 E-Series FPGA technology. The sub-6 GHz single- and multi-band units are configured for reduced system cost and smaller form factor while meeting Open RAN performance requirements.
“Altera’s Agilex FPGAs enabled MTI’s single and multi-band high-power radio platforms to deliver efficient compute performance for O-RAN, L1 low-PHY, and DFE functions for leading network operators,” said Jerry Chen, vice president of product management at MTI. “By leveraging Altera’s FPGA-based platform, we were able to deliver 25GbE fronthaul performance while achieving meaningful reductions in power consumption, form factor, and overall system cost.”
Wisig Networks developed two Open RAN radio platforms using Altera technology, including a 32TR n78 Massive MIMO ULPI radio and an 8T8R high-power n78 macrocell. The platforms were designed and developed in India to meet made-in-India requirements for 5G telecom infrastructure. The systems are configured for energy efficiency and uplink performance within Open RAN-based 5G network architectures.
“Agilex’s market-leading performance per watt, combined with Altera’s enablement solutions, allowed us to develop deployable radio systems faster and more cost-effectively while meeting India’s localization mandates,” said Prof. Kiran Kuchi, founder of WiSig Networks and faculty at IIT Hyderabad. “Beyond advanced 5G, we are now preparing for the 6G transition by leveraging future-ready radio silicon platforms for next-generation systems in this critical upper mid-band range.”
Accelerating the Future of Wireless Infrastructure
Altera’s FPGA-based approach supports 5G standards compliance and early 6G prototyping, including FR3 development. The architecture also enables customization for NTN and satellite communications as network requirements continue to expand.
Source: Altera
About Altera
Altera is a semiconductor company founded in 1983 and based in San Jose, CA. The company designs programmable logic devices, including field-programmable gate arrays and complex programmable logic devices, along with related software tools. Engineers use these products to build configurable hardware for communications, computing, industrial, automotive and aerospace systems. Altera serves system designers, equipment manufacturers and technology companies that integrate programmable logic into network infrastructure, data centers and embedded applications. The company became part of Intel’s solutions business and later reestablished operations with majority investment from Silver Lake, while Intel retained a minority stake. Altera serves about 14,000 customers worldwide and employs approx. 3,000 people across North America, Europe and Asia. The company supplies chips and development tools that support flexible hardware design in electronic systems.