Broadcom 4G LTE Chip is World's Smallest for Phones, Tablets

Broadcom has announced that it'll be entering the LTE market with a modem chip designed for both smartphones and tablets that supports faster 4G networks.

The 28 nm BCM21892 chip runs a cellular baseband alongside a world-band radio in a footprint which Broadcom claims is about 35 percent smaller than current solutions. The model offers LTE category 4 speeds of up to 150 Mbps, as well as Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which delivers high-definition calls over a mobile broadband connection.

The modem's capabilities boast advanced power management techniques that saves up to 25 percent of the power consumed during data transmissions to the network. It also delivers a seamless performance between 4G LTE, 3G and 2G technologies.

"Broadcom's new 4G LTE modem combined with our Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC technologies gives OEMs all the communications technologies needed to build advanced devices that will offer consumers the features, speed and functionality they demand in their next smartphone purchase," said Robert Rango, Broadcom Mobile and Wireless Group general manager. He added that the firm is confident its new modem chip will assist mobile carriers in driving new 4G LTE features such as carrier aggregation into commercial networks.

"The BCM21892 is a chip that not only provides the super-fast wireless access users have come to expect from 4G but also the support for additional services, including international roaming and high-definition voice calling, that carrier will soon offer," said Broadcom's Lars Johnsson. "As soon as the new modem is expected to appear in mobile devices next year, consumers will begin to experience the true power of an LTE offering designed from the ground up for a 4G world."

The modem is currently being tested with early-access consumers, with a general release expected to take place sometime during 2014.

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