Broadcom Announces Multi-Protocol Radio Transceiver with 802.11n Support

In a press release, chipmaker Broadcom has announced the pending ODM release of its new BCM4329 multi-protocol chip with 802.11n Wi-Fi access serving as the main feature.

The implementation of 802.11n access in the BCM4329 chipset is notable for being fully compatible with current Wi-Fi a/b/g/n versions (single band version supports b/g/n while dual-band version supports a/b/g/n) without needing expensive multiple antennae layouts that can negatively impact battery life significantly, with Broadcom implementing a single-stream radio solution that conserves battery life while also featuring Bluetooth 2.1+EDR support and an FM transmitter/receiver for tuning and wireless transmission over FM frequencies.

The chipset is available in single-band 2.4 GHz or dual-band 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi frequency versions in order to take advantage of the claimed 50Mbps throughput for the Wi-Fi radio in n mode.  It is now undergoing sampling by selected manufacturers with significant production beginning next year.