Broadcom showcases 5G Wi-Fi chips

Broadcom has introduced its first family of 802.11ac (5G Wi-Fi) chips designed for a broad range of product segments.

The new IEEE 802.11ac chips are three times faster and up to six times more power efficient than equivalent 802.11n solutions.

Broadcom is sampling 5G Wi-Fi solutions to its early access partners including retail and PC Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), service providers and carriers.

5G Wi-Fi is the next generation Wi-Fi standard required for today's mobile and video era, based on 802.11ac, 5G Wi-Fi is a major evolutionary step from the existing 802.11a/b/g/n networks and improves the wireless range in the home, allowing consumers to watch HD-quality video from more devices and in more places simultaneously.

The increased speed also enables consumers to download web content from a mobile device faster and quickly synch large files, such as videos, in a fraction of the time it would take on a similar 802.11n device.

Since 5G Wi-Fi transfers the same volume of data at a much faster rate, devices enter low-power mode faster, resulting in significant power consumption advantages.

The increased reliance on wireless networks, the explosion of video consumption and the growing number of wireless devices being used are all putting tremendous stress on 802.11a/b/g/n networks. As a result, consumers are prone to experience deteriorated performance, choppy videos and slower load times.

The company's family of 5G Wi-Fi solutions includes the BCM4360, BCM4352, BCM43526 and BCM43516.

BCM4360 supports the PCIe interface and implements 3-stream 802.11ac specifications, and reaches speeds up to 1.3 Gbps; BCM4352 and BCM43526 implement 2-stream 802.11ac specification to reach up to 867 Mbps; BCM4352 supports PCIe interface; BCM43526 supports the USB interface; and the BCM43516 supports USB and reaches speeds of up to 433 Mbps with its single stream 802.11ac implementation.

''5G Wi-Fi solves this media explosion challenge. Broadcom’s vast footprint in consumer electronics devices uniquely positions us to lead the transition to the next generation of Wi-Fi,'' said Michael Hurlston, senior VP, mobile & wireless group, Broadcom.