Broadcom Unveils Bluetooth Radio Chip For Cell Phones
By Michael Bartlett, Newsbytes
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.
21 Mar 2001, 1:43 AM CST
Broadcom Corp. [NASDAQ:BRCM] said it has developed a Bluetooth radio chip specifically for use in mobile telephones.
Bluetooth, which takes its name from Harald Bluetooth, a Viking king in 10th Century Denmark, is a wireless technology designed to provide low-cost, short-range radio links between computers, mobile phones, mobile computers and other portable handheld devices. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is an industry consortium of more than 2,100 companies worldwide that are developing products using an agreed-upon standard.
Broadcom said its "BCM2002X" radio chip, also called a radio transceiver, will allow mobile phone manufacturers to add Bluetooth functionality to cell phones without having to install extra components inside the handset.
Scott Bibaud, the company's director of marketing, said a mobile phone is made, ideally, with a single crystal for low noise. Problems arise, he said, when trying to squeeze Bluetooth into the crowded space inside a cell phone.
"Mobile phones use a certain-frequency crystal. It puts the clock in the cell phone, and the whole phone runs off of that," Bibaud explained. He said putting Bluetooth in a cell phone used to involve the addition of a dedicated Bluetooth reference crystal, but Broadcom's new chip allows manufacturers to use a single crystal.
"The BCM2002X uses what is called fractional-N frequency generation technology. That means it uses a fraction of a full number, and, more importantly, it means you do not have to buy another crystal to use with Bluetooth. In summary, our Bluetooth chip can work with many different cell phone crystals," he added.
According to Navin Sabharwal, an analyst with Allied Business Intelligence, space is an important issue as cell phones become smaller and space on the board inside becomes precious. Sabharwal praised Broadcom's development of a Bluetooth-enabled radio chip for a specific purpose.
"Most companies providing silicon (chips) have a one-solution-fits-all for any Bluetooth-enabled product," he said. "Broadcom has customized a product for a particular design. It is a specific, application-oriented chipset for mobile phones. They are using the phone's native reference crystal and reusing it for Bluetooth, which saves cost, board space and interference."
Sabharwal said Allied Business Intelligence, a technology market research company based in Oyster Bay, N.Y., believes the Bluetooth market is accelerating.
"We anticipate the number of Bluetooth-enabled devices shipped annually will reach 1.1 billion by 2005. Bluetooth will be in cell phones, PDA (personal digital assistants), notebooks and cordless headsets for communications devices. The potential market for Bluetooth-enabled devices is large, especially cell phones. It makes sense to develop technology for that opportunity," he added.
Broadcom's Bibaud agreed that Bluetooth's time is coming, but cautioned against an unrealistic outlook. "Every year is the year Bluetooth is supposed to explode," he said. "Right now, it is growing at a healthy, normal pace. Some have set expectations too high. It took awhile to develop this complex technology."
More information on Broadcom is available on the Web at www.broadcom.com .
The Bluetooth SIG's site is at www.bluetooth.com .
Reported by Newsbytes.com, www.newsbytes.com .
01:43 CST
(20010321/Press Contact: Henry Rael, Broadcom, 949-585-5734 /WIRES TELECOM, BUSINESS/)
gruß
proxi
By Michael Bartlett, Newsbytes
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.
21 Mar 2001, 1:43 AM CST
Broadcom Corp. [NASDAQ:BRCM] said it has developed a Bluetooth radio chip specifically for use in mobile telephones.
Bluetooth, which takes its name from Harald Bluetooth, a Viking king in 10th Century Denmark, is a wireless technology designed to provide low-cost, short-range radio links between computers, mobile phones, mobile computers and other portable handheld devices. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) is an industry consortium of more than 2,100 companies worldwide that are developing products using an agreed-upon standard.
Broadcom said its "BCM2002X" radio chip, also called a radio transceiver, will allow mobile phone manufacturers to add Bluetooth functionality to cell phones without having to install extra components inside the handset.
Scott Bibaud, the company's director of marketing, said a mobile phone is made, ideally, with a single crystal for low noise. Problems arise, he said, when trying to squeeze Bluetooth into the crowded space inside a cell phone.
"Mobile phones use a certain-frequency crystal. It puts the clock in the cell phone, and the whole phone runs off of that," Bibaud explained. He said putting Bluetooth in a cell phone used to involve the addition of a dedicated Bluetooth reference crystal, but Broadcom's new chip allows manufacturers to use a single crystal.
"The BCM2002X uses what is called fractional-N frequency generation technology. That means it uses a fraction of a full number, and, more importantly, it means you do not have to buy another crystal to use with Bluetooth. In summary, our Bluetooth chip can work with many different cell phone crystals," he added.
According to Navin Sabharwal, an analyst with Allied Business Intelligence, space is an important issue as cell phones become smaller and space on the board inside becomes precious. Sabharwal praised Broadcom's development of a Bluetooth-enabled radio chip for a specific purpose.
"Most companies providing silicon (chips) have a one-solution-fits-all for any Bluetooth-enabled product," he said. "Broadcom has customized a product for a particular design. It is a specific, application-oriented chipset for mobile phones. They are using the phone's native reference crystal and reusing it for Bluetooth, which saves cost, board space and interference."
Sabharwal said Allied Business Intelligence, a technology market research company based in Oyster Bay, N.Y., believes the Bluetooth market is accelerating.
"We anticipate the number of Bluetooth-enabled devices shipped annually will reach 1.1 billion by 2005. Bluetooth will be in cell phones, PDA (personal digital assistants), notebooks and cordless headsets for communications devices. The potential market for Bluetooth-enabled devices is large, especially cell phones. It makes sense to develop technology for that opportunity," he added.
Broadcom's Bibaud agreed that Bluetooth's time is coming, but cautioned against an unrealistic outlook. "Every year is the year Bluetooth is supposed to explode," he said. "Right now, it is growing at a healthy, normal pace. Some have set expectations too high. It took awhile to develop this complex technology."
More information on Broadcom is available on the Web at www.broadcom.com .
The Bluetooth SIG's site is at www.bluetooth.com .
Reported by Newsbytes.com, www.newsbytes.com .
01:43 CST
(20010321/Press Contact: Henry Rael, Broadcom, 949-585-5734 /WIRES TELECOM, BUSINESS/)
gruß
proxi
