Cognitive Radio architectures and implementations require advanced signal processing. While the algorithms can be implemented in software, of course, the ability for RF systems to adapt is based on hardware. But given the small markets initially for CR systems, are such designs feasible in the world of dropping prices and relentless cost reductions that depend so much on high volume shipments? To get an indication of an answer, let’s look at Smart Phone technology and implementations. Here’s why: Smart Phones contain almost all known methods for transceiver and baseband design and implementations. For example, for 3G they use Multi-User Detection methods and Turbo Codes, both of which are extremely intensive signal processing modes. So they can be designed and implemented commercially.

Recently, the market research firm iSuppli released a “tear down” analysis” of several smart phones. Their teardown analysis of the actual phones reveals the costs in the end product’s bill of materials. You can read an article about this study in The Economist’s article: “The lowdown on teardowns” . The results are shown below in Table 1. In Table 2 we simply show the costs normalized to each firm’s total Cost.

Table 1: Comparison of Component Costs in Four Smart Phones

	Palm Pre	Apple iPhone	Toshiba TG01	Motorola Droid
Integrated Circuits	$83.96	$91.38	$68.39	$60.83
Display/Touchscreen	$38.80	$34.65	$35.30	$35.25
Mechanical + MEMS	$19.63	$17.80	$21.88	$20.23
Camera	$7.50	$9.35	$12.80	$14.25
Battery	$4.25	$5.07	$4.71	$4.25
Other	$16.51	$11.82	$30.60	$44.30
Total	$170.65	$170.07	$173.68	$179.11

Table 2: Costs Normalized to each Firms’s Total Cost.

	Palm Pre	Apple iPhone	Toshiba TG01	Motorola Droid
Integrated Circuits	49%	54%	39%	34%
Display/Touchscreen	23%	20%	20%	20%
Mechanical + MEMS	12%	10%	13%	11%
Camera	4%	5%	7%	8%
Battery	2%	3%	3%	2%
Other	10%	7%	18%	25%
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%

We take these quite low costs as signs current technology and design teams are competent to build any CR system desired over in the near future. Of course, we still don’t have clarity on the regulatory regime or markets…..such details!