Wi-Fi Chip brings connectivity options to mobile processors.
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Press Release Summary:
Designed to interface with 28 nm Snapdragon mobile processors used in smartphone and tablet devices, Model WCN3660 supports multiple Wi-Fi standards as well as Bluetooth 3.0/4.0 and FM frequency band. Chip has integrated dual-band power amplifier, transmit antenna switch, and on-chip matching circuits. With Wi-Fi Direct(TM), Model WCN3660 supports mobile hotspot functionality for up to 14 clients, enabling peer-to-peer wireless connections without access point present.
Original Press Release:
Qualcomm Atheros Announces Highly Integrated Connectivity Solution for Superior Performance in Smartphones and Tablets
-- WCN3660 Combo Chip Brings Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM Radio Connectivity to Qualcomm's 28nm Snapdragon Family of Mobile Processors --
TAIPEI, Taiwan and SAN JOSE, Calif., -- Qualcomm Atheros Inc., the networking and connectivity subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), today announced it has begun sampling its new WCN3660 combo chip, which is designed to bring expanded connectivity options to the Qualcomm Snapdragon(TM) family of mobile processors. Optimized for use in smartphone and tablet devices, the WCN3660 supports an extensive suite of advanced Wi-Fi connectivity options with multiple Wi-Fi standards. The WCN3660 chip also supports Bluetooth 3.0 and Bluetooth 4.0 and the worldwide FM radio frequency band. Designed to interface with Qualcomm's 28nm Snapdragon mobile processors, the new WCN3660 is a highly integrated solution, enabling customers to provide enhanced connectivity in mobile devices, while reducing the board area required for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth® and FM radio support by up to 50 percent over existing solutions.
"With the launch of the WCN3660, Qualcomm Atheros is demonstrating its commitment to provide an extensive connectivity portfolio of discrete, combo and integrated platform solutions to our smartphone and tablet customers," said Amir Faintuch, senior vice president and general manager, consumer business unit, Qualcomm Atheros. "Qualcomm Atheros is pleased to help enable a new generation of mobile devices that connect users to the growing array of must-have social, media and cloud applications."
The WCN3660 chip features single-stream, 802.11n with dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) operation to enhance mobile wireless multimedia applications. The chip also supports mobile hotspot functionality for up to 14 clients with industry standards-based Wi-Fi Direct(TM) for peer-to-peer wireless connections without an access point present. The WCN3660 also will support the emerging Wi-Fi Display(TM) standard for streaming video directly from a smartphone or tablet to a Wi-Fi-enabled display or television.
The WCN3660 chip has an integrated dual-band power amplifier, transmit antenna switch and on-chip matching circuit, which allows the chip to meet the most stringent carrier requirements while minimizing solution size and power consumption. Bluetooth standards supported by the WCN3660 chip include high-speed Bluetooth 3.0 for audio streaming and device connectivity, and low-power Bluetooth 4.0, which is designed to work with low-power sensors, health monitoring devices and other low data-rate applications. The FM radio capabilities of the WCN3660 include support for both FM receiver and transceiver functionality; worldwide FM band support (76 to 108 MHz); RDS support for Europe and RBDS support for the U.S.; autonomous search, seek and manual tuning; and active noise cancellation.
The WCN3660 chip is compatible and directly interfaces with Snapdragon devices manufactured in the 28nm process, including the MSM8960(TM), MSM8270(TM), MSM8x30(TM) and APQ8064(TM). It uses a fully calibrated, wafer-level package smaller than 15mm-squared for direct mounting to a PCB for ease of design and implementation. The WCN3660's small size and low power consumption in both active and standby modes help provide excellent battery life in mobile devices. To minimize interference and provide high LTE data throughput and optimal audio quality, the WCN3660 interfaces directly with the centralized coexistence manager in the Snapdragon device to provide real-time, intelligent packet arbitration and scheduling, providing an LTE/ISM coexistence solution that is optimized beyond the capabilities of standard filtering approaches.
"Qualcomm Atheros is utilizing its systems expertise to deliver a highly innovative and integrated architecture for connectivity solutions in smartphones and tablets," said David Favreau, vice president of product management, Qualcomm Atheros. "The new WCN3660 combo chip with the Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile processors provides a powerful solution for always-connected mobile devices that support WAN, WLAN and WPAN connections."
The WCN3660 is optimized to work with a broad range of mobile operating systems including Android, next-generation Windows and Windows Phone, Palm® WebOS(TM) and QNX®. Samples of the WCN3660 chip are available now, with a commercial release scheduled for late 2011.
About Qualcomm Atheros
Qualcomm Atheros Inc., the networking and connectivity subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, is a leading provider of wireless and wired technologies for the mobile, networking, computing and consumer electronics markets. The organization is focused on inventing technologies that connect and empower people in ways that are elegant and accessible to all. With its broad connectivity portfolio, Qualcomm Atheros provides its global customer base with high-performance, end-to-end solutions, featuring Wi-Fi®, GPS, Bluetooth®, Ethernet, HomePlug® powerline and PON technologies. Qualcomm Atheros leverages its substantial expertise in RF, signal processing, software and networking to deliver highly integrated, low-power, system-level solutions that enable customers to create high-performance, differentiated products. For more information, go to www.qca.qualcomm.com.
Qualcomm Atheros is a trademark of Qualcomm Atheros Inc. Snapdragon, MSM8960, MSM8270, MSM8x30 and APQ8064 are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. HomePlug is a registered trademark of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance. All other trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.
