System-On-Chip targets mobile devices.
Press Release Summary:
Designed in 65 nm process, Model BCM4325 combines Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, and FM receiver technologies onto single silicon die for mobile or handheld wireless systems. BroadRange(TM) technology ensures consistent connection to Wi-Fi access points, while InConcert(TM) technology provides software algorithms and hardware mechanisms that enable collaborative coexistence between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, since both operate in 2.4 GHz RF range.
Original Press Release:
Broadcom Announces Availability of the Industry's First Single-Chip Wi-Fi(R), Bluetooth(R) and FM Solution for Mobile Devices
IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 2 /- Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ:BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced the industry's most advanced single-chip connectivity solution that combines the company's market-leading Wi-Fi(R), Bluetooth(R) and FM receiver technologies onto a single silicon die. This combination of popular radio capabilities in a new ultra-low power 65 nanometer CMOS system-on-a-chip (SoC) allows OEMs to provide the richest connectivity features without a prohibitive impact on product cost, size or battery life. No other silicon provider can match Broadcom's positions in both the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi markets, or offer the low-power benefits enabled by the advanced 65nm process in which this chip was developed.
Mobile handsets, media players and handheld wireless systems have made recent leaps in sophistication, enabling service providers to offer compelling applications such as web browsing, instant messaging, e-mail, advanced multimedia, VoIP phone calls, photo sharing, as well as innovative connected services like weather and personal navigation. Critical to the success of these advanced handheld devices (which are now appearing in the market) are ultra-low power solutions for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other radio technologies that enable an array of connectivity options. Adding multiple additional chips to mobile devices, however, impedes the trend toward increasing compact, low-power products. Until now, integrating these technologies in a single product was challenging since multiple radios in the same band can lead to self-interference. Broadcom has solved these issues with today's product introduction.
"Integrating multiple wireless technologies onto a single chip is a landmark achievement that will be welcomed by mobile device manufacturers due to the inherent cost, space and power savings it will enable," said Stuart Carlaw, Wireless Research Director at ABI Research. "By leveraging its unique expertise in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM radio, Broadcom has broken through a major technical barrier that will help accelerate the feature sets of the next-generation of connected mobile devices."
"Mobile handsets are rapidly evolving into the central point of personal communications, entertainment and information for large numbers of consumers," said Robert A. Rango, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Wireless Connectivity Group. "Our new Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and FM transceiver will help to drive this evolution and enhance devices like digital music players by dramatically reducing the cost and complexity of these key wireless technologies in innovative mobile devices."
Having shipped hundreds of millions of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth products, Broadcom is the only company that can combine these technologies into a single solution that provides the highest level of integration with industry leading hardware and software. Broadcom's integrated solution offers advanced co-existence algorithms to maximize the performance of multiple wireless connectivity options within a single device. Even as FM radio continues to gain momentum in handsets, Broadcom's implementation offers the advanced features required for entertainment and live news broadcast reception in today's handset products.
Announced today is the Broadcom(R) BCM4325 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM transceiver. This single-chip solution provides the highest level of integration for mobile or handheld wireless systems featuring IEEE 802.11a/b/g (MAC, baseband and radio), support for Bluetooth 2.0 plus enhanced data rate (EDR) that is upgradeable to version 2.1 and an advanced FM receiver. Unlike competing technologies, the BCM4325 was designed in the advanced 65 nanometer process to address the critical challenges within mobile devices. It provides the lowest power, smallest form factor and most robust connectivity, allowing OEMs to drive these wireless technologies into more handset platforms.
Technical Information
Adding both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to small consumer devices, such as mobile handsets, presents significant integration challenges for any silicon provider. The highly integrated BCM4325 design addresses these silicon challenges by reducing the overall footprint size and required external components. The BCM4325 is an ultra-low power solution utilizing advanced design techniques that deliver the lowest active and idle power consumption (up to 40% lower than competitive solutions) combined with a software architecture that offloads the host processor to dramatically extend handheld device battery life and reduce memory requirements.
The BCM4325 utilizes BroadRange(TM) technology, which provides robust range performance to ensure consistent connections to the Wi-Fi access points. The chip also features Broadcom's InConcert(TM) technology, which consists of sophisticated software algorithms and hardware mechanisms that enable collaborative co-existence between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, since both operate in the 2.4 GHz radio frequency range. By integrating Bluetooth with WLAN, the BCM4325 can more intelligently operate both technologies, allowing the option for a shared antenna system to further reduce board area requirements and provide the capability to co-exist with additional external radio technologies.
The BCM4325 also supports all of the rich features included with the Bluetooth 2.0 specifications and is upgradeable to Version 2.1 of the standard. The FM radio receiver supports the European Radio Data Service (RDS) and the North American Radio Broadcast Data Service (RBDS) with superior tuning capabilities.
These unique advances enable the BCM4325 to enhance the overall handset user experience for simultaneous voice, video and data communications on a low power mobile system. In addition, the flexible software architecture simplifies the migration from a single radio connectivity technology (WLAN or Bluetooth) to a multi-radio technology solution, minimizing the software design changes while maximizing reuse of the vast array of mature software available for Broadcom's WLAN and Bluetooth based products.
Availability
The Broadcom BCM4325 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM receiver is now sampling to early access customers. Pricing is available upon request.
Broadcom's Wireless LAN Product Family
Broadcom's high performance AirForce(TM) wireless LAN product line includes 54g(R) (the world's most popular Wi-Fi technology), and Intensi-fi(TM) (the industry's first draft-802.11n chipsets). In addition to transceiver solutions that provide single- and dual-band wireless connectivity, Broadcom integrates wireless network processors, communications technologies and its OneDriver(TM) software solutions into reference designs that speed customer time-to-market. The industry's leading manufacturers are developing computers, routers, peripherals, phones, broadband modems and a variety of consumer electronics devices connected by Broadcom technologies.
Broadcom's Bluetooth Product Family
Broadcom offers the most complete family of Bluetooth silicon and software solutions for mobile phones, PCs, wireless headphones and headsets, peripherals, gaming and other applications. Broadcom's Bluetooth solutions are widely recognized in the industry as the most widely deployed and feature rich solutions available. The world's largest manufacturers of consumer electronics, mobile phones and personal computer products rely on Broadcom Bluetooth technology to provide their customers with a unique, intuitive and feature rich user experience increasingly free of wires and cables.
About Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. Our products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment. Broadcom provides the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything(R).
Broadcom, one of the world's largest fabless semiconductor companies with annual 2005 revenue of $2.67 billion, is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Broadcom may be contacted at 1-949-926-5000 or at www.broadcom.com.
CONTACT: Broadcom Trade Press, Henry Rael, Public Relations Manager, +1-949-926-5734, hrael@broadcom.com, or Broadcom Technical, David Recker, Sr. Product Line Marketing Manager, Mobile & Handheld Wi-Fi, +1-408-922-8708, drecker@broadcom.com, all of Broadcom Corporation
