Alereon recently announced the AL4000 PHY chipset and the AL4300, a combined W-USB Media Access Controller (MAC) and BaseBand Processor (BBP). The AL4000 PHY chipset consists of the AL4100 Analog Front End (AFE), and the AL4200 BBP. The AL4300, when combined with the AL4100 AFE, makes a complete 2-chip W-USB solution for portable products, PC peripherals and consumer electronics products.

The AL4100 AFE is a highly integrated WiMedia-compliant RF transceiver designed to optimize throughput while minimizing the power per Megabyte transferred in noisy RF environments. Featuring superior interference rejection capability and support for all WiMedia data rates up to 480Mbps in both TFI and FFI time frequency modes, the AL4100 assures maximum throughput in the office, at home or on-the-go. The AL4100 is offered in a small 5-mm × 5-mm 32-pin VQFN package.

The AL4200 BBP is a highly flexible WiMedia-compliant BaseBand Processor, including Alereon's CogniPHY cognitive radio technology. Designed to accommodate a variety of interference and regulatory scenarios, its highly programmable design includes extensive real-time monitoring and diagnostic capabilities in excess of WiMedia requirements, all available through the standard WiMedia MAC/PHY interface. The AL4200 is implemented in 130-nm CMOS and is available in a compact 10-mm × 10-mm 108-pin BGA package. The AL4300 combination W-USB MAC and BBP is a highly integrated W-USB device controller for portable and PC peripheral applications. Designed to excel in handheld and mobile applications where space and power consumption are at a premium, the AL4300 and AL4100 provide a highly integrated 2-chip solution.

The AL4100 and AL4200 samples are now available, with production volumes available in the first quarter of 2006. Budgetary pricing for the AL4000 PHY chipset, including the AL4100 and AL4200, is $9.86 in 10,000-piece quantities. The AL4300 MAC and BPP will be available in the first quarter of 2006.

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