Fine tunes the signal, lowers latency, saves energy
UK-based AccelerComm been funded £21.5m to expand on its pioneering work that coaxes the best possible performance from 5G operations, which it does by correcting mobile transmission errors caused by noise, interference and poor signal strength. The finance came from telco Swisscom and a number of other Series B investors. Since 5G is highly configurable it can be fine-tuned to get the best performance from both terrestrial and satellite by finding the best possible configuration for them. AccelerComm’s product suite includes a channel coding IP system that lowers latency and power consumption for 5G radio baseband processing. Another option it has created is LEOPhy, a complete layer 1 modem that incorporates this technology for low-earth orbit 5G satellite communications (pictured).
“We will be investing to further develop our technology building on the significant potential dB gains we are already seeing from our Pusch Equaliser,” AccelerComm CMO Rob Barnes, said, in a written answer to Mobile Europe, “By applying our advanced algorithms to complete 5G physical layer solutions, we can enable our customers to more easily realise the value across a range of 5G terrestrial and satellite deployment scenarios.”
The impetus for this compelling force of creativity was provided by Professor Rob Maunder at the University of Southampton back in 2016. Since Maunder founded the company AccelerComm has established itself as a leader in the field of channel coding, also known as forward error correction. It is already working with Vodafone, Intel, AMD and National Instruments. Driven by a leadership team comprising executives and senior talent from ARM, Qualcomm and Ericsson, the company has won multiple awards. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in 2022 it won a Global Mobile Award and it was shortlisted for another in 2023, as well as being named in the Electronic Times Silicon 100 Emerging Startups to Watch. The company is also an active member in both the O-RAN ALLIANCE and Small Cell Forum.
The company is now run by CEO Tom Cronk, who explained that the challenges of maximising performance of a network are universal, be they in LEO satellite or terrestrial 5G installations. Energy and radio spectrum are the two most precious resources whatever type of radio network you are running. “In the past few years, AccelerComm has continually demonstrated its position at the forefront of this technology, working with mobile operators, telecoms equipment vendors and the satellite industry to help supercharge communications,” said Cronk. “We’re thrilled to receive this backing and look forward to the company’s continued rapid growth and innovative development.”
The Series B funding came from Parkwalk, Swisscom and Hostplus together with participation from existing investors Bloc Ventures, IP Group and IQ Capital. The funding will be used to add to the current team who will develop the technology further. As word gets around and its branding grows the money will be used for US and global expansion. Mobile operators, telecoms equipment vendors and satellite operators are demanding more from 5G and AccelerComm can solve their problems, according to John Pearson, Investment Director at Parkwalk. “This company [needs to] scale up and deliver exceptional connectivity to people and businesses around the world,” said Person, “This level of funding will help the company realize its commercial potential, promising a step-change moment in the development and capability of 5G satellite technology.”
AccelerComm significantly boosts the performance of wireless communication systems, testified Pär Lange, Partner at Swisscom Ventures. “Its [inventiveness] over L1 channel coding for high performance networks is producing higher throughput, lower power consumption and more platform agility, “said Longe. “These features, we believe, will unlock the full potential of 5G.”