First Bluetooth Provider to Combine Version 2.1 Features with Other Advanced Technologies that Enhance the Performance, Set-Up, Use and Security of Bluetooth Devices
"The Bluetooth 2.1 specification is an important milestone that will invigorate the Bluetooth market with revolutionary wireless applications," said Scott Bibaud, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Bluetooth line of business. "Designed with the future in mind, our latest solution combines Bluetooth 2.1 features with other advanced features to enable a new generation of devices with enhanced Bluetooth capabilities."
The BCM2046, Broadcom's latest single-chip Bluetooth transceiver, leverages EDR technology and superior receive sensitivity to provide exceptional wireless multimedia capabilities (such as audio and video streaming) for mobile phones, notebook and desktop computers, PDAs and peripheral devices. Although Broadcom achieved the Bluetooth 2.1 qualification today, its solutions have offered features of the new specification since 2006, including:
* Extended inquiry response (EIR) to speed up the discovery process;
* Encryption pause/resume (EPR) to fix security holes;
* Sniff subrating to enable significantly longer battery-life;
* Secure simple pairing to provide maximum protection against
eavesdropping.
While the BCM2046 transceiver complies with the new Bluetooth 2.1 specification, it is also backward-compatible with prior Bluetooth versions. As the wireless ecosystem continues to grow, it is critical that all Bluetooth devices can communicate with one another regardless of their underlying technology.
Software is another key aspect of the expanding Bluetooth ecosystem. Having shipped hundreds of millions of Bluetooth products, Broadcom distinguishes its solutions with a mature software stack and the industry's most extensive library of Bluetooth profiles. When combined with BCM2046 silicon, Broadcom's BTW (Bluetooth for Windows), Bluetooth Embedded (BTE)- Mobile and BTW-CE software provides OEMs with a flexible and complete technology platform that can enable a wide range of Bluetooth applications.
Bluetooth Version 2.1 Qualification Information
Version 2.1 of the Bluetooth specification was formally approved by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) on July 30, 2007. Once the Bluetooth SIG adopted Version 2.1 of the specification, the BQB began accepting products for review and qualification based on the new standard. Broadcom's reference design, incorporating the BCM2046 and BTE software, was among the first solutions to achieve BQB qualification and continues to fulfill all requirements for V2.1-compliance.
Benefits of EDR Technology
Responding to a need for a higher bandwidth version of Bluetooth (as defined by the Bluetooth SIG), EDR triples total bandwidth to three Megabits per second (Mbps) with a maximum data throughput rate of up to 2.1 Mbps. Electronic devices with Bluetooth EDR can transfer multimedia files, such as music or video clips, up to three times faster than previously possible and use significantly less power by cutting the amount of time the transceiver is active. EDR technology also extends the range of Bluetooth devices and improves coexistence with other radio technologies, such as Wi-Fi(R).
Broadcom's Bluetooth Product Family
Broadcom offers the most complete family of Bluetooth silicon and software solutions for mobile phones, PCs, wireless headphones and headsets, peripherals, gaming and other applications. Broadcom's Bluetooth solutions are recognized as the industry's most widely deployed and feature-rich solutions available. The world's largest manufacturers of consumer electronics, mobile phones and personal computer products rely on Broadcom Bluetooth technology to provide their customers with a unique, intuitive and feature rich user experience increasingly free of wires and cables.
About Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment. We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art, system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything(R).
Broadcom is one of the world's largest fabless semiconductor companies, with 2006 revenue of $3.67 billion, and holds over 2,200 U.S. and 900 foreign patents, more than 6,600 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video and data. Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Broadcom may be contacted at +1.949.926.5900 or at www.broadcom.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
All statements included or incorporated by reference in this release, other than statements or characterizations of historical fact, are forward- looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry and business, management's beliefs, and certain assumptions made by us, all of which are subject to change. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "would," "could," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.
Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom in connection with BCM2046 Bluetooth transceiver products include, but are not limited to, general economic and political conditions and specific conditions in the markets we address, including the volatility in the technology sector and semiconductor industry, trends in the broadband communications markets in various geographic regions, including seasonality in sales of consumer products into which our products are incorporated, and possible disruption in commercial activities related to terrorist activity or armed conflict in the United States and other locations; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Broadcom's technologies and products in the markets for wireless networking applications; delays in the adoption and acceptance of industry standards in those markets; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders and our ability, as well as the ability of our customers, to manage inventory; the gain or loss of a key customer, design win or order; our ability to scale our operations in response to changes in demand for our existing products and services or demand for new products requested by our customers; our ability to specify, develop or acquire, complete, introduce, market and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a cost- effective and timely manner; intellectual property disputes and customer indemnification claims and other types of litigation risk; the quality of our products and any remediation costs; changes in our product or customer mix; the volume of our product sales and pricing concessions on volume sales; the effectiveness of our expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; our ability to timely and accurately predict market requirements and evolving industry standards and to identify opportunities in new markets; problems or delays that we may face in shifting our products to smaller geometry process technologies and in achieving higher levels of design integration; our ability to retain, recruit and hire key executives, technical personnel and other employees in the positions and numbers, with the experience and capabilities, and at the compensation levels needed to implement our business and product plans; the risks and uncertainties associated with our international operations; competitive pressures and other factors such as the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; the timing of customer-industry qualification and certification of our products and the risks of non-qualification or non-certification; the availability and pricing of third party semiconductor foundry, assembly and test capacity and raw materials; fluctuations in the manufacturing yields of our third party semiconductor foundries and other problems or delays in the fabrication, assembly, testing or delivery of our products; the risks of producing products with new suppliers and at new fabrication and assembly facilities; the effects of natural disasters, public health emergencies, international conflicts and other events beyond our control; the level of orders received that can be shipped in a fiscal quarter; and other factors.
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Broadcom(R), the pulse logo, Connecting everything(R) and the Connecting everything logo are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU. Bluetooth(R) is a trademark of the Bluetooth SIG. Wi-Fi(R) is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
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