Updated 26 May, 2012, 4:18 pm IST

Broadcom Develops Single Chip Solution

04 Feb, 2007, 3:00 pm IST | by Priyanka Pradhan |

Broadcom Corporation has announced an advanced single-chip connectivity solution, by combining its Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM receiver technologies onto a single silicon die. The company has released its BCM4325 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM transceiver, offering the highest level of integration for mobile or handheld wireless systems featuring IEEE 802.11a/b/g (MAC, baseband and radio), support for Bluetooth 2.0 plus enhanced data rate (EDR) that is upgradeable to version 2.1 and an advanced FM receiver.

Unlike competing technologies, the BCM4325 was designed in the advanced 65 nanometer process to address the critical challenges within mobile devices. It provides the lowest power, smallest form factor and most robust connectivity, allowing OEMs to drive these wireless technologies into more handset platforms.

The BCM4325 utilizes BroadRange technology, which provides robust range performance to ensure consistent connections to the Wi-Fi access points. The chip also features Broadcom's InConcert technology, which consists of sophisticated software algorithms and hardware mechanisms that enable collaborative co-existence between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, since both operate in the 2.4 GHz radio frequency range. By integrating Bluetooth with WLAN, the BCM4325 can more intelligently operate both technologies, allowing the option for a shared antenna system to further reduce board area requirements and provide the capability to co-exist with additional external radio technologies.

The BCM4325 also supports all of the rich features included with the Bluetooth 2.0 specifications and is upgradeable to Version 2.1 of the standard. The FM radio receiver supports the European Radio Data Service (RDS) and the North American Radio Broadcast Data Service (RBDS) with superior tuning capabilities.

These unique advances enable the BCM4325 to enhance the overall handset user experience for simultaneous voice, video and data communications on a low power mobile system. In addition, the flexible software architecture simplifies the migration from a single radio connectivity technology (WLAN or Bluetooth) to a multi-radio technology solution, minimizing the software design changes while maximizing reuse of the vast array of mature software available for Broadcom's WLAN and Bluetooth based products.

Robert A. Rango, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Wireless Connectivity Group said, "Mobile handsets are rapidly evolving into the central point of personal communications, entertainment and information for large numbers of consumers. Our new Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and FM transceiver will help to drive this evolution and enhance devices like digital music players by dramatically reducing the cost and complexity of these key wireless technologies in innovative mobile devices."

The Broadcom BCM4325 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM receiver is now sampling to early access customers.