Broadcom fits 802.11n Wi-Fi chip, FM transmitter and Bluetooth radio into one
By David Gonzales on 08 Dec 08Broadcom, maker of all sorts of semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, has successfully completed a world first. With its latest product, called the BCM4329, comes a combination of an FM transmitter, Bluetooth radio, and 802.11n Wi-Fi chip.
Yes, that small letter “n” there in the earlier mention of Wi-Fi is not a typo. With this chip, Wi-Fi N is now going to be officially available on future mobile phones. And what’s more, it’s bringing the FM transmitter along with it as it becomes a standard in feature-rich handhelds.
Of course, the Broadcom BCM4329 provides more than just what’s mentioned. In fact, it actually integrates a complete IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n system, along with Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and its FM transmitter also acts as an FM radio receiver. Just this one chip will be able to make any like-equipped handset future-proofed.
Other benefits of this wireless chip combo also include saved space, which could lead to even smaller mobile phones than what we have today, as well as little but noticeable power savings. The Broadcom BCM4329 is now sampling to early access customers and is scheduled for significant production quantities in 2009. You can ask Broadcom for pricing.
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