TI unveils integrated chipset sans cellular radio

You know the mobile device chipset market has matured when a big player in the space, Texas Instruments Inc., unveils a new product targeting smartphones that includes every conceivable radio access technology except one for a cellular network.
TI’s new WiLink 7.0 offering integrates 802.11n (Wi-Fi), GPS, a FM transceiver/receiver and Bluetooth technology onto a single chip targeting device manufacturers looking to include what are becoming expected features on a smartphone. The company said the solution’s single-chip integration provides for a 50% footprint savings and a 30% reduction in costs compared to non-integrated solutions.
“We are seeing an attach rate of nearly 100% for these technologies on new smartphones,” said Eran Sandhaus, director of marketing for wireless connectivity solutions at TI. “With the combination of features and cost savings we think this offering will target both the high end and low end of the smartphone market.”
And the market for such solutions is expected to escalate. According to information from IMS Research, and provided by TI, 4.5 billion integrated chipsets will be shipped by 2013.
Sandhaus noted that the integration of these “required” features separate from the cellular radio allows device manufacturers to use similar design architectures across different technologies requiring only the exchange of the radio chipset.
Features
As for the embedded features, Sandhaus made note that TI worked hard on power saving and compatibility capabilities. That includes hardware mechanisms that allow for the peaceful co-existence of the 802.11n and the Bluetooth functions that share the unlicensed 2.4 GHz spectrum band. This hardware allows the 802.11n signal to temporarily power down when the Bluetooth functionality is attempting to set up a connection.
TI also future-proofed the offering by embedding the upcoming Wi-Fi Direct and Soft AP mode capabilities into the 802.11n specification and the Bluetooth industry’s recently unveiled Low-Energy capabilities. TI added that the integration of the GPS capabilities onto the chip allows for reduced power consumption.
While the FM transceiver may seem the least glamorous of the embedded technologies, Sandhaus noted that TI is seeing increased interest from device manufacturers for the offering as it allows consumers to stream audio content through compatible FM radios in automobiles. Also, Sandhaus said the technology can be integrated with applications like music tagging services.
The WiLink 7.0 chipset is currently being sampled with original equipment manufacturer customers, with devices embedded with the chipset expected to hit the market by the end of the year.