The FINANCIAL -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), one of the global leaders in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, on February 8 announced a new single-chip HSPA (high-speed packet access) baseband processor and a radio frequency (RF) transceiver solution that integrates all of the key 3G (third generation) cellular and mobile technologies for powering the 3G smartphone and smart feature phone product segments.
"The advanced baseband processor is the first to provide extremely high-speed cellular connectivity with advanced, built-in graphics capabilities, for HSUPA (high speed upstream packet access) applications. The RF transceiver solution complements the advanced HSUPA processor to provide support for all global frequency combinations covering the latest 3G-enabled devices," Broadcom Corporation informed.
Designed in Broadcom's proven 65 nanometer CMOS process, the new '3G phone-on-a-chip' and RF solution enables manufacturers to build low cost, low power, next generation 3G HSUPA phones with breakthrough features, sleek form factors and very long battery lives. Utilizing an integrated ARM11 processor that is capable of running popular open operating systems (such as Windows Mobile and Android), the Broadcom BCM21553 HSUPA baseband processor can run innovative new applications and download media files at a much faster speed, resulting in sophisticated and affordable handsets, and a more satisfying smartphone experience.
Highlights/Key Facts:
Smartphones and smart featurephones continue to grow in popularity, with users attracted by the ability to download and use new software applications and view rich multimedia content. Highlighting the growing preference to use these phones for wirelessly accessing data, ABI Research projects over 350 petabytes of data will be transferred using smartphones in 2010, which is roughly equivalent to three times as much information as is contained in the Library of Congress.
The Broadcom BCM21553 baseband processor enables the next generation of smartphones by supporting 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) releases 6 and 7, which provide up to 5.8 Mbps (Megabits per second) of upstream connectivity, 7.2 Mbps of downstream connectivity and support next generation CS (circuit switches) over HSPA services.
Includes Broadcom PRISM (programmable interference suppression module) technology, which mitigates interference from radio signals emanating from neighboring cells, to provide higher performance gains in high interference environments where they're needed the most.
Integrates a high performance 3D graphics core with full support for the OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics standard, providing rich 2D and 3D graphics for applications and advanced user interfaces.
Open operating system (OS) support is a key requirement for today's 3G smartphones, making these devices available to a broader range of software developers and innovative applications. By taking an Open OS approach, phones based on Broadcom technology can provide more mobile applications to users and an even better user experience.
The BCM21553's integrated high performance ARM11 processor can support Windows Mobile and Android open operating systems, eliminating the need for an external applications processor, which in turn saves size and cost, reduces system complexity, and improves battery life for 3G handset devices.
The powerful graphics core built into the BCM21553 baseband processor is based on Broadcom's advanced multimedia technology, providing video support up to HVGA quality, an 8 megapixel camera, and the ability to encode and decode H.264 video at 30 fps (frames per second).
Also introduced by the company today is the Broadcom BCM2091 radio frequency transceiver that provides RF connectivity for today's announced BCM21553 HSUPA processor, enabling the industry's smallest HSPA transceiver designed in a standard low cost, 65nm CMOS process. The BCM2091 RF transceiver delivers the following:
A highly flexible transceiver architecture that provides handset designers with ultimate flexibility in PCB board design and reuse across the various cellular band and mode configurations required worldwide
Reduces external RF engine component count by more than 40% over existing RF engines in production today, which in turn reduces bill-of-materials (BoM) cost.
The BCM21553 broadband processor and the BCM2091 RF transceiver are now available. Pricing is available upon request.
A fully proven and tested reference design, including other leading Broadcom connectivity solutions (such as Bluetooth, WLAN, GPS and FM), will also be provided.
Supporting Quotes:
Jim Tran, Vice President & General Manager, Broadcom's Mobile Communications line of business
"We are established as a reliable supplier of baseband and other mobile technologies for popular new smartphone and advanced smart feature phone devices. With the introduction of our new BCM21553 HSUPA baseband processor and BCM2091 RF transceiver solutions, we are now enabling a new generation of increasingly affordable handsets that will offer the fastest cellular connectivity available, as well as the most popular smartphone features including wireless connectivity and diverse mobile applications."
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