Basically it is a radio built purely from computing power and not a mixture of analogue and digital components. This mean that it can use the spectrum intelligently.

If it takes off it could really change things a bit like the first single-chip Bluetooth radio, which led to the spinout of the global short-range wireless and audiovisual giant CSR.

Codenamed Pizzicato the technology will unlocks the potential of the IoT because it opens the door to a new dynamic way in which the predicted 100 billion IoT devices can operate together in a crowded radio spectrum. And it will enable the creation of 5G systems, with multiple radios and antennas.

The Pizzicato digital radio transmitter consists of an integrated circuit outputting a single stream of bits, and an antenna – with no conventional radio parts or digital-to-analogue converter. Patented algorithms perform the necessary ultra-fast computations in real time, making it possible for standard digital technology to generate high-frequency radio signals directly.

A Pizzicato-like digital radio can follow Moore’s Law to smaller size and lower power consumption.

It can be programmed to generate almost any combination of signals at any carrier frequencies, nimbly adapting its behavior in a way that is impossible in conventional radios. It is early days for this technology but we believe radio design has reached a turning point.