Intel plans to bring us cheaper Wi-Fi enabled devices by means of a new wireless processor it has developed, utilising CMOS. The processor has a flexible, multimode radio built into it. It will support the three current wireless standards (802.11a, b and g) without the need for additional hardware such as power amplifiers and antennae, and includes all of the requirements for compatibility with the next-generation, faster 802.11n wireless networks. The result will be lower cost devices along with the benefits of low power usage that come with using CMOS technology.
'This system-in-a-package design uses more low-voltage circuitry than we've ever used in the past, which means we can integrate it and make it lower cost while operating at lower voltages and providing longer battery life,' said Krishnamurthy Soumyanath, director of Intel's Communications Circuits Research Lab.
'By creating this capability in CMOS, Intel will have the option of integrating wireless capabilities into a wide variety of our future chips,' he added.