Digital Home Advisor

Fujitsu Microelectronics has announced a new mobile WiMAX chipset optimized for mobile WiMAX devices such as smart phones and PDAs. The chipset includes a baseband LSI, MB86K22; an RF LSI, MB86K52; and a power management LSI, MB39C316. These three devices are essential to produce a competitive WiMAX module. The chipset was designed to fit in the 12x12mm WiMAX module. The standby current - which has a direct impact on battery life - will not exceed 0.5mA, facilitating the development of more competitive mobile WiMAX terminals.

Next-generation Mobile WiMAX technology will be deployed in the United States, Europe, and Taiwan this year, and in Japan next year. The initial service will be provided through PC-based mobile broadband access, with simultaneous development of portable devices, smart phones, PDAs, portable games and navigation systems supporting the Mobile WiMAX technology.

The mature software stacks of the chipset have been proven in the previous generation product, and the power management schemes have been optimized at the system level. These advantages enable mobile WiMAX terminal manufacturers to focus on designing attractive user interfaces and service-oriented applications.

"This highly integrated WiMAX chipset features the low power and small form factor essential to the development of attractive mobile WiMAX terminal products," said Makoto Awaga, General Manager of the Mobile Solution Business Group of Fujitsu Microelectronics in Japan. "Fujitsu Microelectronics has assumed a global leadership position in WiMAX business development, and we have been working with different module vendors to meet market demand."

MB86K22 is a fully integrated baseband LSI built using Fujitsu Microelectronics 65nm advanced CMOS low-leakage process technology. The operating power of MB86K22 has been reduced by 36 percent from the previous generation. Power-gating technology shuts down the power supply in the unused blocks inside the device, so that the entire mobile WiMAX module consumes only 0.5mA, thereby extending battery life.

MB86K52 is an RF LSI built using CMOS process technology, which supports 2.3GHz, 2.5GHz, and 3.5GHz, covering almost all the frequencies set by the WiMAX Forum. This enables mobile WiMAX terminal manufacturers to introduce their WiMAX devices globally. MB86K52 also supports MIMO and beamforming technology, which is essential for mobile WiMAX Wave 2.

MB39C316 power management LSI eliminates all the complex and time-consuming power management requirements by adopting one-cell battery. This design minimizes the number of external peripheral devices of a module. MB39C316 controls and manages the power schemes of a module at the system level, keeping the power consumption in every operation to the minimum.