Netbooks and smartphones continue to worm their way into mobile device users’ hearts, and so Fujitsu Microelectronics America Inc. is going to make it easier to embed mobile WiMAX within them.
At Mobile World Congress the vendor introduced a low-power, small-footprint device designed for the expanding mobile PC market. Fujitsu says it offers a 36 percent reduction in power consumption to boost battery life, and a 60 percent reduction in space it requires. It also incorporates a USB interface, so designers can develop WiMAX USB adapters in ultra-small-form factors.
“We expect mobile WiMAX to become a key broadband wireless access technology in many portable devices like mobile Internet devices, ultra mobile PCs (netbooks), tablets and even low-cost handsets for emerging markets,” said George Wu, director of the embedded platform solutions business group at Fujitsu.
The “MB86K23” mobile WiMAX baseband IC supports a wide range of channel bandwidths including 3.5MHz, 5MHz, 7MHz, 10MHz, and 20MHz, and includes all the features required for WiMAX Forum Wave 2 mobile device certification.
