News

13 October 2010

 

Samsung selects RFMD for GALAXY Tab’s WiFi connectivity

RF Micro Devices Inc of Greensboro, NC, USA says that Samsung has selected three highly integrated RFMD components to deliver WiFi connectivity in its recently introduced GALAXY Tab Android tablet.

Specifically, RFMD is supplying Samsung with the RF5521 front-end module (FEM) for the low-band 2.4GHz frequency, and the RF5515 low-noise amplifier (LNA) and RF5355 power amplifier (PA) for the high-band 5.0GHz frequency. Volume shipments have begun, and RFMD anticipates increasing WiFi shipments to Samsung — in mobile tablet devices as well as in smartphones — as single-band and dual-band design wins ramp into volume production.

With 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 as well as the Android OS 2.2, the Samsung GALAXY Tab is an always-on communication and entertainment tool. Its large battery (4000mAh) provides more than 7 hours of movie viewing time and, because it’s powered by a Cortex A8 1.0GHz application processor, it’s designed to deliver high performance.

The RF5521 FEM, RF5515 LNA and RF5355 PA are on a leading WiFi reference design and were selected primarily due to their combination of performance, integration and small footprint size. The RF5521 FEM combines an LNA with bypass and a single-pole three-throw (SP3T) switch. The RF5515 and RF5355 operate in tandem to provide a 5GHz RF front-end solution that is claimed to exceeds competitive performance and price levels while delivering extended range capability. Each component is targeted at high-performance mobile applications using WiFi and Bluetooth combination systems.

“We look forward to growing our WiFi business with Samsung across both smartphones and mobile tablet devices,” says Bob Van Buskirk, president of RFMD’s Multi-Market Products Group (MPG).

The mobile embedded WiFi market is growing at a rapid pace, and dual-band WiFi (2.5GHz/5GHz) is in the early stages of adoption in the expanding market for mobile internet devices (MIDs). RFMD offers a portfolio of low-band, high-band, and dual-band components, and expects its mobile WiFi product portfolio to contribute meaningfully to MPG's anticipated revenue growth.

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