Mobile chip maker Qualcomm said Thursday that it has started providing new wireless chipsets that combine 3G and 4G wireless technology to help carriers transition to the next generation of wireless technology.
The company said Huawei Technologies, LG Electronics Novatel Wireless, Sierra Wireless, and ZTE are among the first mobile-device manufacturers to test the new chips.
Qualcomm said that devices that use the new chips could be available in commercial products starting in the second half of 2010.
The new chips will allow wireless phones and other portable devices to switch between a 4G wireless network using LTE, or long-term evolution, technology and HSPA Plus, a 3G wireless technology.
This is important because many carriers around the world plan to upgrade their networks to 4G using LTE. But these networks won't be ubiquitous overnight, and consumers will not be able to get 4G signals everywhere and will need to roam on 3G networks so they can have coverage almost everywhere. This means that devices will need chips that allow them to switch between networks.
HSPA Plus is the next iteration of 3G wireless technology that can provide download speeds of up to 21 megabits per second. Many wireless operators, including Telstra of Australia and AT&T in the U.S., are upgrading their networks now. These carriers eventually plan to upgrade their networks to LTE.
Qualcomm also announced it is providing a new set of mobile-device chips to manufacturers for testing that will add more robust multimedia features to new smartphones.
This new chipset family supports high-definition video recording and playback, enhanced graphics, and an overall chip design that is optimized for a highly responsive Web experience. Qualcomm expects phone makers to have devices that use the new MSM7x30 family of chipsets commercially available by the end of 2010.
The new chipsets will allow phones to operate on the most advanced 3G wireless networks, such as those running the latest generation of HSPA and EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized).
The chips will support handsets that use the Android, Brew, Symbian, and Windows Mobile operating systems. Some of the features that the new chips could enable include a 12-megapixel camera, 720p video recording, and 3D gaming.
Broadcom on Monday announced a chip integrating 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and FM radio into a single silicon die, a move designed to expand the range of features available in mid-range mobile-phone handsets.
The introduction of the BCM4329 was motivated in part by the increased popularity of Wi-Fi in mid-range "feature phones," Broadcom said. It added that this growth is due in turn to the integration of cameras, browsers, and audio capabilities into more handsets, which is driving a need for transferring data and media between handsets and other electronics such as TVs, PCs, printers, remote speakers, and car stereos.
The chip is one of the first to offer the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard in a package suitable for mobile devices. It promises wireless throughput of up to 50Mbps, allowing large files to be transferred quickly, Broadcom said.
Broadcom's chip uses single-stream 802.11n, because the space, battery power and processing power restrictions in mobile devices would not support the multiple-antenna implementation used in larger 802.11n devices, according to the company. Even so, Broadcom said the single-stream design delivers faster and more reliable wireless connections than current 802.11g products.
The chip uses space-time block coding (STBC), a feature designed to improve connection robustness. It also has dual-band 802.11n capabilities, meaning handset owners can use the less-crowded 5GHz spectrum for applications that require faster guaranteed bandwidth.
In addition, the chip's FM transmit and receive capabilities are intended to allow music to be streamed directly from media players or mobile phones to car stereos or home stereo systems.
The chip's Bluetooth implementation includes algorithms intended to improve the co-existence of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and also uses a shared antenna system to minimize interference between the two technologies.
Integrating all the technologies on to a single die takes up less space and power than discrete chip implementations, Broadcom said.
The company's previous combination chips include the BCM4325, integrating Bluetooth, FM radio, and an earlier generation of Wi-Fi, and the BCM2049 Bluetooth/FM chip.
The chip is currently shipping in small quantities to some customers and will be manufactured in production quantities next year, Broadcom said.
Matthew Broersma of ZDNet UK reported from London.
Chipmaker Broadcom is adding Wi-Fi positioning technology from Skyhook Wireless to its semiconductors to help provide more accurate location-based services.
Broadcom plans to use GPS (Global Positioning System) and Wi-Fi to help provide accurate location-based information for mobile devices, the company said. Location-based services are becoming hot, especially since the launch of Apple's iPhone 3G, which comes with GPS. The location applications that use GPS have been among the most popular applications downloaded from the Apple App Store.
But GPS has its limitations. Skyhook's Wi-Fi location technology can use known Wi-Fi hot spots to augment GPS. The service works very well in densely populated areas where there are a lot of Wi-Fi radios transmitting signals. And it's great for locating places indoors or in cities with a lot of tall buildings, all places where satellite-based GPS technology has difficulty getting a location fix.
Now Broadcom, which makes many of the GPS, Wi-Fi, and other types of chips that go into many mobile phones will add Skyhook's Wi-Fi positioning to its chips. And this should help improve accuracy for location-based services in the future.
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