QUALCOMM, today announced the availability of a Draft 2.0 802.11n chipset for faster WiFi connections. The AGN400 chipset is the fourth generation “802.11n-compliant” chipset from Airgo Networks – whose acquisition by QUALCOMM was also announced today.
In addition, Qualcomm also announced it has purchased Bluetooth assets of RF Micro Devices (RFMD). Financial details on the Airgo deal were not disclosed; the RFMD Bluetooth deal was worth $39 million.
The chipset features Airgo’s True MIMO Gen-N technology based on Airgo’s patented multiple antenna technology to extend the effective range and bolster data throughput. In addition to supporting Airgo’s existing business, QUALCOMM will be integrating their 802.11a/b/g and 802.11n technology into select Mobile Station Modem chipsets and their new Snapdragon platform, which is designed to offer ubiquitous mobile broadband connectivity.
“The industry-leading performance of AGN400, and its full compatibility with the 11n interoperability specification selected by the Wi-Fi Alliance, is exactly what our customers have asked us to deliver,” said Greg Raleigh, president and CEO of Airgo Networks. “Now that QUALCOMM is acquiring Airgo, PC notebook customers can count on a single supply source for wireless chipsets.”
Draft 2.0 improves upon the earlier Draft 1.0 with better performance, a greater feature set and enhanced interoperability. Additionally, “neighbor friendly” coexistence is supported when the AGN400 is transmitting 40 MHz-mode 802.11n traffic and there are active 802.11a/b/g/n networks nearby.
The AGN400 chipset, reference designs and software are currently sampling with lead customers and will be publicly demonstrated in January 2007 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nev. Products containing True MIMO Gen-N technology are expected to be commercially available in the first quarter of 2007.
Tim Higgins explains what they mean by “Draft 2.0″:
In order to not miss the Wi-Fi interoperability certification activities announced in August that will take place in the March-June 2007 timeframe, Airgo decided to put everything that could possibly be in Draft 2.0 into the AGN400 chipset that was announced today and start baking silicon.
The Wi-Fi Alliance will certify the next generation of WiFi gear in two waves. The first phase will be based on draft 2.0 of the standard, to be released this coming March. The second phase will certify equpment against the full, final version of the IEEE standard, and is expected sometime in the first half of 2008.
Over the past few years, Airgo has sold about 3 million in-home MIMO-powered products under the Linksys and Netgear brands.
Meanwhile LSI Logic says it is buying Agere Systems for $4 billion in stock. The combined company, which will be 52 percent owned by LSI and 48 percent owned by Agere, will be called LSI Logic Corp. and trade under the stock symbol “LSI” on the New York Stock Exchange. Agere has been a leader in HSDPA chipsets as well as GPRS & EDGE components.
