Texas Instruments To Release Combo Wireless Chip

The company said vendors can use the chip, model TNETW1130, to develop a variety of products, from stand-alone 802.11b (or Wi-Fi), 802.11a and 802.11g products, to dual-mode 802.11a and 802.11g products.

The cost to produce the chip with capabilities to support all three standards is negligible, said a TI spokeswoman. The more expensive components are the radios that are paired with the chip, she said.

TI is hoping that by including all possible capabilities into its new chip, vendors will be able to stay on top of fast-moving industry trends by being able to offer a variety of different products without incurring costs of design and testing a different chip each time.

The draft standard of 802.11g is expected to be completed and ratified by the IEEE by May 2003. TI expects vendors to release products using the chip's 802.11g capabilities by April, the TI spokeswoman said. Any changes to the 802.11g specification that are made next year will be likely upgradable through software, she said.

802.11g is the latest wireless networking standard to enter the market. It offers backwards compatibility with the 802.11b but a much faster throughput. 802.11b can transmit data at up to 11 Mbps while 802.11g promises speeds of up to 54 Mbps. Both work in the 2.4GHz frequency, while 802.11a offers up to 54 Mbps at the 5GHz frequency band.