Broadcom launches new processor for entry-level smartphones
Broadcom is targetting the fastest-growing part of the smartphone market with its new HSPA+ mobile processor. The BCM23550 is powered by a quad-core 1.2 GHz processor and integrates an HSPA+ baseband.
HSPA+ offers the fastest network speed available to most Chinese consumers. According to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, China accounted for a quarter of all new mobile subscriptions during the first quarter, adding 30 million new subscribers. Currently, there are more than 100 domestic Chinese smartphone manufacturers.
Accoring to Broadcom, the BCM23550 is the first quad-core processor to integrate 5 GHz Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth and indoor positioning. 5 GHz Wi-Fi is an architecture built on the 802.11ac IEEE wireless networking standard. It increases data speeds and reduces interference through a technique called beamforming, which enables wireless signals to bypass physical obstacles.
MediaTek unveils new 802.11ac Wi-Fi solution with beamforming
Beamforming is an important element of MediaTek’s new 2×2 802.11ac Wi-Fi chipset. Beamforming is a non-proprietary technology that can increase Wi-Fi speeds by up to 200% by directing signals to their destinations instead of just broadcasting them in a radius.
The MT7612x chipsets include 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios and power amplifiers, and support up to 867 megabits per second of physical layer data rate. MediaTek is claiming throughput rates of almost 600 Mbps.
Mindspeed announces partnerships for LTE routers
In an effort to offer carriers and OEMs a turnkey solution for VoLTE on wireless gateways, Mindspeed has integrated D2’s embedded IP multimedia subsystem voice over LTE software with its Concerto network processor. For D2, the collaboration is a way to capitalize on the growing market for LTE routers. For Mindspeed, the partnership means it can offer an important new feature for home and small business access points.
Mindspeed’s LTE router solution relies on its new partnership with Sequans. The two companies have teamed up to offer a Category-4 LTE fixed wireless gateway reference design. The solution combines Mindspeed’s processor with Sequans’ baseband modem chip. The solutions targets the fixed wireless gateway market for home and small business users.
