15 June 2012

TriQuint launches first 802.11ac-ready Wi-Fi module for mobile devices 

RF front-end component maker and foundry services provider TriQuint Semiconductor Inc of Hillsboro, OR, USA has launched what is claimed to be the first 802.11ac-ready Wi-Fi RF module for next-generation mobile devices. In addition to supporting faster download speeds, the TriConnect TQP6M9017 wireless local-area-network (WLAN) front-end module enables connectivity from greater distances, allowing nearly 60% further range than its predecessor (the TQP6M9002), due to advances in output power technology.

As demand for Wi-Fi proliferates worldwide, consumers have developed an ever-growing appetite for faster mobile data rates to support video streaming and other multimedia applications, says TriQuint. With data rates up to 1.3Gb/s, the new IEEE 802.11ac standard will deliver transfer rates 3–4 times faster than current-generation 802.11n Wi-Fi. Market research firm In-Stat predicts that 1 billion devices with 802.11ac technology will ship by 2015.

“A major manufacturer has selected our new high-performance TriConnect component for its next-generation smartphone, and it’s also included on a reference design by a leading chipset supplier,” says Shane Smith, VP of global marketing for Mobile Devices at TriQuint. “Our 802.11ac technology expertise also expands our future market opportunity for infotainment applications such as in-home video distribution,” he adds. 

The TriConnect TQP6M9017 is a highly integrated, dual-band WLAN module that provides a complete solution for 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth applications, simplifying RF design for device manufacturers. It uses TriQuint’s gallium arsenide (GaAs) enhancement/depletion-mode (E/D) pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) and heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) technologies to integrate two power amplifiers (PAs) for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands with a front-end switch, filtering, baluns and other active and passive components into an ultra-small 4mm x 4mm x 0.5mm ETSLP-24 Pb-free package.

Volume production of the TriConnect TQP6M9017 is planned for July.

TriQuint is exhibiting in booth 1815 at the 2012 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS) in Montreal, Canada (17–22 June).

Tags: TriQuint

Visit: www.triquint.com/products/p/TQP6M9017