Broadcoms Complete 5G WiFi Combo Chip for Smartphones, Tablets, Ultrabooks and other Mobile Devices

With 3X faster speeds, consumers can download web content from a mobile device, and synch large files such as videos, in a fraction of the time it would take on a similar 802.11n device. Since 5G WiFi transfers the same volume of data at a much faster rate, devices enter low-power mode quickly and, as a result, are up to six times more power efficient than equivalent 802.11n solutions.

Broadcom introduced its family of 5G WiFi chips for access points and PCs at CES in January 2012. The world's first 5G WiFi routers and notebooks powered by Broadcom's 5G WiFi chips were introduced to the market in Q2 2012. Smartphones and tablets powered by the new BCM4335, which are expected to hit shelves in Q1 2013, will allow consumers to reap the full speed, range and power saving benefits of 5G WiFi on both ends of the wireless connection.

Broadcom has a proven track record of designing and delivering complete, integrated solutions. The BCM4335 is the company's fifth generation combo chip technology, benefiting from a foundation optimized to enable transformative wireless capabilities in mobile devices. With wireless coexistence algorithms that mitigate radio interference, advanced sleep modes that extend battery life, and processing capabilities that off-load power-intensive tasks from the host processor, Broadcom combo chips set the standard for integration, performance and functionality.

The new BCM4335 integrates a complete, single-stream 5G WiFi system — including the MAC, PHY and RF — with Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio and software on a single silicon die. The platform-agnostic design and integration of the MAC, PHY and RF allows the BCM4335 to be added to any smartphone or tablet regardless of the application processor used. Designed in 40nm CMOS process, the new chips are smaller and more power efficient, giving customers more design freedom.

The BCM4335 introduces the newest version of Broadcom's wireless coexistence technology. Handset makers can use this technology on 4G LTE cellular platforms to minimize the possibility of radio interference between Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and LTE, which operate in adjacent radio frequencies. Broadcom's Global Coexistence Interface supports the Bluetooth Special Interest Group's LTE coexistence scheme and can be applied to future Broadcom LTE platforms, as well as 4G cellular platforms from other vendors.

Additional Product Highlights:
•The BCM4335 features the industry's most advanced idle power consumption performance, which significantly extends a mobile device's battery life
•Broadcom's TurboQAM technology implements the highest data-rate 256-QAM mode in 2.4 GHz and enables devices equipped with the BCM4335 to deliver 10 percent faster throughputs than 802.11n speeds when communicating with other 5G WiFi devices
•Key high-throughput mobility interfaces, including SDIO 3.0, PCIe and HSIC, make it suitable for smartphone, tablet and computing platforms
•PHY rates of 433 Mb/s significantly boost the wireless throughput compared to previous generation wireless solutions
•Advanced beamforming, Low-Density Parity Check code and Space-Time Block Code support for better coverage and more reliable connectivity
•Built-in media processing to off-load host processor
•Integrated support for Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint technologies

Market Drivers:
•By 2016, 3 trillion minutes of video content will cross the network every month
•Most network video is now viewed on devices other than PCs
•Mobile data traffic worldwide will grow 18-fold from 2011 to 2016
•Almost 100% of smartphones and tablets have adopted combo chips for wireless connectivity
•802.11ac penetration in smartphones is expected to approach 100%, with an expected total available market of almost 1.5 billion Wi-Fi chips in smartphones and tablets by 2016

The BCM4335 is now sampling to Broadcom's early access customers, with full production expected in Q1 2013.

Peter Cooney, Practice Director, Semiconductors, ABI Research commented: Combo chips now dominate the wireless connectivity market in smartphones and tablets, with the size, cost, performance and integration benefits they afford now being applied to other product categories. Broadcom has become an extremely strong supplier in this market by continually adding new technologies and creating compelling products at the right price points. By adding next generation Wi-Fi technology to its latest combo chip, the company continues that tradition and will help accelerate the adoption of high speed 802.11ac connectivity in mobile devices worldwide.

Michael Hurlston, Broadcom Senior Vice President & General Manager, Wireless Connectivity Combo remarked: Broadcom introduced the industry's first 5G WiFi chips earlier this year and has continued to deliver on an aggressive rollout of solutions to power the entire ecosystem of wireless products. Today, we're the only chip vendor powering the next generation of routers, access points and client devices currently on shelves. The BCM4335 is the perfect mobile complement to these 5G WiFi products, allowing smartphones and tablets to get the full benefit of the technology at both ends of the wireless connection.