This paper presents issues to be considered when designing multi-carrier WCDMA basestations. Two topics will be the main focus of this discussion; the power amplifier linearization and the peak-to-average power reduction of a multi-carrier WCDMA signal, both of which are important for efficient operation of wideband power amplifiers and cost-effective design of the overall base station. WCDMA signal characterization, technology selection, linearization, and peak reduction methods are discussed.