Breaking News

TerraMaster F4-425 Plus and F2-425 Plus Debut TEAMGROUP Unveils the T-FORCE Z54E PCIe 5.0 SSD Samsung Unveils 115” 4K Smart Signage Display Viltrox Launches AF 50mm F1.4 Pro FE LIAN LI Introduces the RB Series PSU with Advanced Cable Management

logo

  • Share Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
  • Home
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Essays
  • Forum
  • Legacy
  • About
    • Submit News

    • Contact Us
    • Privacy

    • Promotion
    • Advertise

    • RSS Feed
    • Site Map

Search form

MWC2014: Broadcom Packs 5G WiFi 2x2 MIMO into Smartphones

MWC2014: Broadcom Packs 5G WiFi 2x2 MIMO into Smartphones

Smartphones Feb 24,2014 0

At Mobile World Congress this week, Broadcom unveiled the BCM4354, the first 5G WiFi, or 802.11ac 2x2 MIMO system-on-a-chip (SoC) for smartphones. The SoC enables smartphones to find and keep a clearer and more powerful Wi-Fi signal, essentially doubling wireless performance and widening coverage areas, while increasing system power efficiency.

2x2 MIMO (pronounced My-Mo) "uses two antennas to transmit and receive two streams of data at the same time, so it effectively doubles throughput," explained Dino Bekis, vice president of product marketing, Mobile Wireless Connectivity Combos, at Broadcom.

Those antennas, which send out parallel signals, can also be configured to deliver the same throughput at a greater distance. That increases the chances of getting a signal in challenging, congested environments - like connecting from the basement to a router stuffed in an upstairs closet, or in a busy city environment jammed with interference from other people and objects.

Making do with single-antenna connection, which is found in most smartphones today, means that Wi-Fi reliability takes a hit. In some cases, that connection can be impacted by how and where people physically hold their devices.

MIMO, by contrast, uses multipath communication to increase the likelihood of a strong Wi-Fi signal, regardless of how the phone is held or the obstacles that might be in the way. Under the hood, multiple signals are converted into a single, clear channel.

And because it uses 5G WiFi, the BCM4354 has a beam-forming capability, which means that it dynamically senses the environment for transmitting Wi-Fi signals and steers the beams to a specific device. This is done through a "handshaking protocol" that allows the device and router to communicate about where to send the signal.

To engineer the BCM4354, Broadcom had to break through several technological challenges, from making sure that MIMO antennas didn?t adversely affect battery life to fitting the new chip into a footprint comparable to existing single antenna solutions.

It took a lot of proprietary enhancements to the radio design, Bekis says, to compensate for the less-than-ideal antenna conditions in a tightly packed smartphone environment. The result is a 2?2 MIMO SoC solution that works just as well as those on tablets and laptops.

Bringing 5G WiFi with 2x2 MIMO to smartphones will also make carriers and device makers happy, as they'll get more ability to offload network traffic from their 3G and LTE networks to Wi-Fi.

Carriers will also get more out of their managed Wi-Fi networks and hot-spots in big public spaces, such as sports arenas and concert venues, where the quality of the Wi-Fi network is sure to be noticed by thousands of people uploading and sharing content in real-time.

The BCM4354 supports Android, Windows and Chrome-based operating systems. There's even a version that supports Rezence wireless power technology, developed by the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP).

Bekis said he expects the first MIMO-equipped smartphones to be announced this quarter, with mainstream availability by summer.

Tags: broadcom
Previous Post
MWC: Philips and Ericsson Unite On Smart Street Lighting
Next Post
ZTE Makes a Grand Entrance to MWC With the Grand Memo II LTE

Related Posts

  • Broadcom Offers Commitments Concerning TV Set-top box and Modem Chipsets to End EU Antitrust Probe

  • AT&T, Palo Alto Networks and Broadcom Collaborate on a Disaggregated Scalable Firewall

  • TSMC and Broadcom Enhance the CoWoS Platform with First 2X Reticle Size Interposer

  • Broadcom Announces First Wi-Fi 6E Chip for Mobile Devices

  • Apple and Broadcom Ordered to Pay $1.1 Billion for Patent Infringement

  • Apple, Broadcom Sign $15 Billion Chip-Supply Deal

  • European Commission Imposes Measures on Broadcom's TV and Modem Chipsets Over Anticompetitive Practices

  • Broadcom Buys Symantec's Enterprise Security Assets for $10.7 Billion

Latest News

TerraMaster F4-425 Plus and F2-425 Plus Debut
Enterprise & IT

TerraMaster F4-425 Plus and F2-425 Plus Debut

TEAMGROUP Unveils the T-FORCE Z54E PCIe 5.0 SSD
PC components

TEAMGROUP Unveils the T-FORCE Z54E PCIe 5.0 SSD

Samsung Unveils 115” 4K Smart Signage Display
Enterprise & IT

Samsung Unveils 115” 4K Smart Signage Display

Viltrox Launches AF 50mm F1.4 Pro FE
Cameras

Viltrox Launches AF 50mm F1.4 Pro FE

LIAN LI Introduces the RB Series PSU with Advanced Cable Management
PC components

LIAN LI Introduces the RB Series PSU with Advanced Cable Management

Popular Reviews

be quiet! Dark Mount Keyboard

be quiet! Dark Mount Keyboard

Terramaster F8-SSD

Terramaster F8-SSD

be quiet! Light Mount Keyboard

be quiet! Light Mount Keyboard

be quiet! Pure Base 501

be quiet! Pure Base 501

Soundpeats Pop Clip

Soundpeats Pop Clip

Akaso 360 Action camera

Akaso 360 Action camera

Dragon Touch Digital Calendar

Dragon Touch Digital Calendar

Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 fans

Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 fans

Main menu

  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Essays
  • Forum
  • Legacy
  • About
    • Submit News

    • Contact Us
    • Privacy

    • Promotion
    • Advertise

    • RSS Feed
    • Site Map
  • About
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us
  • Promotional Opportunities @ CdrInfo.com
  • Advertise on out site
  • Submit your News to our site
  • RSS Feed