Date: 12/01/2009

Broadcom demonstrates Bluetooth at data-rates of 24 Mb/sec

Broadcom has demonstrated a working implementation of high speed Bluetooth at this week's 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show. This demonstration features alternative MAC and PHY (AMP) technology that enables Bluetooth to support data rates of up to 24 Megabits per second (Mbps) and a significant increase in range by using other wireless radio technologies, such as 802.11, as its transport medium.

Broadcom's Bluetooth AMP technology solutions includes the Broadcom BCM4325 single-chip Bluetooth + Wi-Fi combo device, as well as modules that integrate the BCM2046 single-chip Bluetooth solution and BCM4312 single-chip Wi-Fi device. The demonstration shows fast file transfers between two Broadcom AMP-enabled devices (i.e. PC to PC, PC to mobile phone, mobile phone to mobile phone), which in turn, highlights extended versatility for Bluetooth.

Bluetooth has grown into one of the most pervasive wireless technologies in the market, in large part because of its ease-of-use and applicability to a wide array of devices from mobile phone handsets to PC peripherals, game controllers and wireless headsets. It is now expanding into new classes of consumer electronics devices supporting remote control and file transfer functions. The addition of AMP technology increases the speed at which Bluetooth can communicate, and thereby extends the life of Bluetooth technology.
The first AMP technology target for Bluetooth is 802.11g wireless LAN - a radio technology that could increase Bluetooth transfer rates by up to 10x when compared to standard or enhanced data rate (EDR) Bluetooth.