Broadcom's combo chips accelerate transition to dual-band Wi-Fi for mainstream smartphones and tablets

IRVINE, USA: Broadcom Corp. has announced two new dual-band combo chips optimized to provide whole-home, high speed Wi-Fi for tablet computers and the benefits of concurrent dual-band connectivity for smart phones.

Both of these new chips are manufactured in a 40nm process and employ the most advanced power management techniques, thereby significantly increasing battery life in products that use them. While the high end of the market is expected to adopt 5G WiFi, these chips move the bar for mid- and low-tier devices, bringing a cost effective dual-band implementation to smartphones and an equally cost effective dual stream solution to tablets.

Smartphones and tablets continue to grow in popularity among mainstream consumers and are increasingly being used for sharing content, multiplayer gaming and watching high definition video. Features such as Wi-Fi Direct and Wi-Fi Display often use the 5GHz frequency band, making dual-band operation essential in portable products. In addition, operating systems like Android and Windows are enabling more sophisticated applications on these devices, making high-speed dual-band wireless connectivity a must.

The new Broadcom InConcert BCM43241 and BCM4334 combo chips feature advanced dual-band Wi-Fi technology that utilize both 2.4GHz and 5GHz radio channels. The BCM43241, targeted at tablets, also features dual-stream technology, utilizing two streams per channel to enable twice the throughput and better range than the current generation of products that incorporate single-stream Wi-Fi. While dual-band Wi-Fi dramatically improves the video experience in the mainstream tier, performance smartphones and tablets are expected to further enhance these applications by adopting 5G WiFi for gigabit wireless speeds.

Both chips are currently sampling to early access partners, with full production expected in the third quarter of 2012.