InterDigital, Inc. (Nasdaq: IDCC), a wireless research and development company, and Blu Wireless Technology, a specialist in multi-gigabit wireless baseband system IP, today announced the successful completion of a first phase of collaborative development  to explore millimetre wave solutions for small cell base stations and access points. The companies are currently in discussion to extend the collaboration.

The eventual demonstration platform is expected to enable operators to evaluate this technology to more cost effectively increase 4G and 5G backhaul throughput to satisfy their customers’ ever-increasing demands for data, such as high quality mobile video. The platform will also be ideally suited to R&D exploration for 5G millimetre wave mobile access.

It will combine InterDigital’s multi-hop backhaul technology with Blu Wireless’s HYDRA baseband evaluation platform, which was developed for 802.11ad WiFi (WiGig) systems and has been further optimised to speed throughput in backhaul applications.

Henry Nurser, CEO of Blu Wireless Technology, said: “This project builds on a previous, successful collaboration with InterDigital.  The combination of the two research teams will enable a significant advance in the application of low-cost millimetre wave technology within the 4G and 5G mobile infrastructure markets and result in innovative system solutions for our customers.”

Jim Nolan, EVP Innovation Labs at InterDigital said: “We have been impressed by the flexibility shown by the HYDRA System IP and excited by its potential. I look forward to a next phase of research focused on the technical challenges associated with 4G small cell backhaul and 5G networks.”