Broadcom announced this week that it has begun shipping the “world's first single-chip Wi-Fi solution.” According to Broadcom, the BCM4317 “AirForce One” is roughly the size of a postage stamp and consumes up to 97% less power than other Wi-Fi (802.11b) implementations. The company said it expects the new chip to make Wi-Fi connectivity practical for the first time for a wide range of pocket-sized electronic devices, including PDAs, cell phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, and other portable devices.

The BCM4317 integrates a 2.4 GHz radio, power amplifier, IEEE 802.11b baseband processor, medium access controller (MAC), Tx/Rx and diversity switches, and all other radio components onto a single silicon die, eliminating more than 100 discrete components, the company said.

Tim Bajarin, principal analyst of market research firm Creative Strategies said the new Broadcom chip is “a revolutionary breakthrough for the wireless industry” . . . “that will reach previously untapped markets and generate endless possibilities for consumers.”

“Until now, wireless connectivity has been primarily confined to PCs, due to the power and size demands of traditional wireless LAN chipsets,” he added.

 
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