WiSpry wins first-ever RF-MEMS mass-production handset deal

International CES 2012, LAS VEGAS, USA: WiSpry Inc., the leader in high-performance tunable RF semiconductor products for the wireless industry, announced its technology is at the core of the first mass-produced RF-MEMS-enabled handset.

Chosen by a major manufacturer and in production now, WiSpry’s unique antenna tuner extends usable bandwidth for small form-factor antennas and can dynamically compensate for interference from hand and finger placement, even when users physically touch the antenna. WiSpry will demo the solution all week as part of the MEMS Techzone at International CES 2012 – located at the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall 2, ground level, booth #25218.

WiSpry’s WS2017 Tunable Impedance Match (TIM) circuit consists of a network of low-loss inductors combined with WiSpry’s digitally-tunable, low-loss MEMS capacitors. In this application, the resulting impedance-transforming network can dynamically compensate for VSWR up to 20:1 or greater. The setting for the network is controlled via a serial bus and continuously updated in sync with the radio signal.

With the help of WiSpry’s technology, mobile-phone OEMs are able to develop low-volume antennas that fit into the ultrathin smartphones consumers demand. The use of an antenna tuner will also reduce the amount of energy necessary for a given radiated signal, thus extending handset usage time between charging. Mobile phone models with this disruptive and enabling technology are now available from leading carriers in most major markets.

“Performance enhancements from WiSpry’s WS2017 allow OEMs to offer unprecedented gains in performance and efficiency,” said Jeffrey Hilbert, president and founder of WiSpry. “Our new deployment is tremendous validation for the pioneering work our engineers have done over the past years and sets the stage for WiSpry’s continued growth in the years to come. As OEMs and operators come under increased pressure to deliver the ultimate 4G experience, RF-MEMS will become an indispensible component in the larger toolkit.”