Atheros and Marvell get fast Wi-Fi into phones

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Atheros and Marvell get fast Wi-Fi into phones

Both introduce 802.11n systems-on-chip for tablets and handsets, outdoing LTE speeds

By CAROLINE GABRIEL

Published: 14 February, 2011

READ MORE: Atheros | Marvell Technology | Semiconductor | 802.11n

The fast Wi-Fi standard, 802.11n, is now commonplace in laptops and home equipment, and its next frontier is to go mainstream in handsets. Major Wi-Fi chipmakers Marvell and Atheros are racing to take that space, with new MIMO chipsets targeted at low power products.

Atheros, soon to be part of Qualcomm, unveiled the AR6004, a system-on-chip with 2x2 MIMO, allowing for two data streams in each direction. Provided MIMO is supported by the device and access point, this will enable mobile Wi-Fi to keep well ahead of the peak speeds of 4G connections, Atheros argues. The AR6004 can use both the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz bands and is capable of real world speeds as high as 170Mbps. Yet the firm claims its chip consumes only 15% more power than the current AR6003, which delivers only 85Mbps. It will be available in sample quantities by the end of this quarter and in commercial quantities in the first quarter of next year.

On the same day, Marvell debuted its Avastar 88W8797, also an 11n dual-band chip with 2x2 MIMO. This can achieve even higher peak data rates, up to 300Mbps, says the firm, and it also includes Bluetooth. It is designed for smartphones and tablets as well as sensor devices for health monitoring and home automation, according to Techworld, and is available now in sample quantities.