Broadcom puts 3G phone on a chip

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 16 October 2007 02:19

Your IT - Mobility

A new chip from Broadcom delivers many of the functions expected from a modern mobile phone in a single component, reducing power consumption and cost.

The BCM21551 handles the radio aspects of 3G, including high-speed packet access with 7.2Mbps downloads and 5.8Mbps uploads. WCDMA and EDGE protocols are also supported, and the device includes Bluetooth, an FM radio receiver, and an FM transmitter for in-car music playback.

Company officials claimed this is the first time so many radio functions have been incorporated on one chip. That's impressive enough, but the specifications don't stop there.

The device also supports cameras of up to 5 megapixels and TV out at up to 30fps, and is designed to work with other Broadcom chips providing Wi-Fi, GPS, and MPEG-4 and H.264 video capability.

On the audio side, the BCM21551 provides stereo support for headsets and speakers, a five-band graphic equaliser and digital mixing.

Other on-chip functions include USB 2.0, memory card support, and dual LCD support.

The chip includes dual ARM processors, allowing it to be used in mass market feature phones or in smartphones running Linux, Symbian or Windows Mobile.

"We built upon the success of our single-chip EDGE solution and merely eight months later our engineers not only built a single chip HSUPA solution, but also integrated Bluetooth, FM radio, and the next level of multimedia," said Yossi Cohen, senior vice president and general manager of Broadcom's mobile platforms group. "This is truly amazing engineering execution, a hallmark of Broadcom."

The BCM21551 is now shipping, and costs just $23 in large quantities.