Enhanced Data Rate Certification for Faster Downloads on 2.5G and 3G Mobile Phones

US : Texas Instruments announced that the company's fifth generation Bluetooth(R) solution has passed the qualification for Bluetooth specification v2.0 and enhanced data rate (EDR) by the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group).

TI's solution delivers the fastest version of enhanced data rate (EDR) to support speeds up to 3Mbps in a Bluetooth network for bandwidth intensive applications on 2.5G and 3G mobile phones, including faster downloads of MP3 files and digital photos.

TI also introduced the BlueLink(TM) platform name for its lineup of complete Bluetooth hardware and software solutions for mobile phones. The first solution in the family is BlueLink 5.0, which consists of the BRF6300 single-chip Bluetooth solution designed for easy coexistence with TI's mobile WLAN solutions and software for Bluetooth operation. The software includes TI's BlueLink Bluetooth Protocol Stack and all software required to work with TI's OMAP(TM) platform and GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA and UMTS chipsets. The BlueLink 5.0 solution qualified for Bluetooth specification v2.0 + EDR and is now sampling. (See: http://www.ti.com/bluelink_5 .)

"The market for Bluetooth networking in mobile phones is showing strong signs of growth, and we anticipate that up to 58 percent of mobile phones shipped worldwide by 2008 will include a Bluetooth connection. The coexistence of WLAN and Bluetooth will be key in the mobile phone of the future," said Brian O'Rourke, senior analyst with In-Stat.

"With advancements in enhanced data rates and ease of use, Bluetooth connectivity is becoming a must-have feature on handsets with manufacturers, operators and consumers," said Marc Cetto, general manager of TI's Mobile Connectivity Solutions business unit. "TI's BlueLink 5.0 platform is furthering TI's efforts in WLAN and Bluetooth coexistence and is leading the market in complete Bluetooth solutions for mobile handset manufacturers."

To speed manufacturers' time to market for Bluetooth enabled 2G, 2.5G and 3G mobile phones, the BlueLink 5.0 single chip uses TI's 90 nanometer (nm) advanced process manufacturing and DRP(TM) technology to deliver the industry's:

* Maximum Bluetooth performance: Bluetooth v2.0 + EDR support with
maximum throughput of speeds up to 3Mbps.
* Leading WLAN Coexistence: Improved coexistence and interoperability
with WLAN through a shared antenna architecture and collaborative
interface to TI's mobile WLAN solutions such as the WiLink(TM) 4.0
mobile WLAN platform. TI's WLAN-Bluetooth Coexistence Solution was
introduced in 2003 and is included in 18 mobile devices in the
marketplace today.
* Industry's lowest power consumption: 100uA during critical in-use
Bluetooth scenarios such as page and inquiry scan, which is three
times lower than current solutions.
* Smallest size: A 30 percent die size reduction over current solutions,
greatly reducing board-space for a complete Bluetooth system.
* Low cost: TI is able to provide the lowest cost solution through a
reduced bill of materials (BOM).
To speed development of Bluetooth enabled handsets, the BRF6300 single- chip is pin-to-pin compatible with TI's BRF6150 for fast upgrades, and delivers easy software migration from BRF6150 through similar software interfaces.

Availability

The BlueLink 5.0 solution is currently sampling. Mobile devices using TI's BlueLink 5.0 solution are expected to be on the market in the first quarter 2006.

Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world signal processing requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company's businesses include Sensors & Controls, and Educational & Productivity Solutions. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25 countries.

Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com