Texas Instruments Presents New Fourth Generation Bluetooth™ Baseband Processor
TI's New ROM-Based Point-to-Multipoint Solution Addresses the Needs of Cost-Sensitive Wireless Devices
SAN FRANCISCO (CA) (December 11, 2001) - A new ROM-based Bluetooth baseband processor which addresses the growing demand for short-distance wireless connectivity was announced today by Texas Instruments Incorporated (NYSE:TXN) (TI). Offering significant reductions in system cost and board space requirements, TI's new BSN6050 baseband solution provides high performance, full data rate Bluetooth links at a volume price as low as US$5*, making possible the advent of new mass market consumer products at affordable prices. For more information on TI's Bluetooth solutions, please visit www.ti.com/sc/bluetooth.
New Lower Price Opens the Way for New Applications
The BSN6050 baseband solution (Baseband + TRF6001 RF) is designed to meet the requirements of a wide range of Bluetooth applications, such as wireless information devices (cell phones, PDAs, printers, etc.), wireless device accessories (phone and music/MP3 players), access points (e.g. home automation), car telematics, and entertainment or PC peripherals. According to a survey by Strategy Analytics (www.strategyanalytics.com), US cellular telephone users are willing to pay a 27% premium to see Bluetooth added to their handsets. Given the average price of cellular handsets, the low price of the BSN6050 solution will turn this into reality, allowing manufacturers to introduce a whole new range of consumer products at a price that users are willing to pay.
ROM-based for Low Cost and Small Footprint
Functionally compatible with the BSN6040, the BSN6050, like other TI Bluetooth products, will address Bluetooth developers' needs for full bandwidth, optimized connections, minimized data transfer times and very low power consumption. The BSN6050 represents a fourth generation processor with the inherent stability necessary for reliable use in volume production.
The new point-to-multipoint BSN6050 solution is ROM-coded up to HCI. For certain high volume, embedded applications the entire protocol stack and application can also be ROM-coded, enabling standalone Bluetooth solutions for small peripherals such as a mouse, keyboard or joystick. A Patch-RAM is provided so that minor code enhancements can be included without requiring a new ROM version. By removing the requirement for external flash memory, significant savings in PCB area can be achieved.
The BSN6050 will be supported by modules from third parties, as well as custom board developers. Whatever the individual needs of Bluetooth developers, specialist partners are available to support their development work.
Full Feature Set and Rich Connectivity
The ROM-based BSN6050 is a high-performance, point-to-multipoint solution delivering the full Bluetooth data rate of 723 Kbps (DH5 packets). It is fully compliant to Revision 1.1 of the Bluetooth specification. Features include support for up to seven piconet links and up to three simultaneous SCO (Synchronous Connection Oriented) voice channels. The device also features master-slave switching and, for power reduction applications, Park, Sniff and Hold modes as well as a "deep sleep" mode for power sensitive applications.
For the needs of mobile users, the BSN6050 is designed for very low power consumption using advanced 0.15-micron technology (L-effective, 0.18 micron drawn). TI's BSN6050 also offers a large variety of interfacing options. For system interfacing, it supports two 1Mbps high-speed UARTs and for PC applications, a USB interface offering 12 Mbps bandwidth.
Part of a Growing Family
TI continues to expand its already broad Bluetooth portfolio by rolling out new Bluetooth products. These include three baseband products and one RF device: the newly introduced BSN6050, the BSN6040, with which the BSN6050 is fully compatible, the BSN6030 (a low-cost, ROM-based, point-to-point baseband controller now available as a solution with the TRF6001 for well under $5 in volume quantities) and the TRF6001 (a -86dBm receiver sensitivity transceiver).
Full compatibility means that as applications based on a BSN6040 mature, they can migrate to a BSN6050 with all of the cost and space savings this entails. Single chip solutions currently under development by TI will continue to drive further price reductions in the future.
Availability and Packaging:
Engineering samples of the BSN6050 will be available to initial customers in December 2001. Volume production is scheduled for mid-2002. The BSN6050 comes in a 10x10mm 151 BGA package.
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Safe Harbor Statement
Statements contained in this press release regarding future product developments, their effect on pricing of related consumer products and other statements of management's beliefs, goals and expectations may be considered "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. The following factors and the factors discussed in TI's most recent Form 10-K could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements contained in this press release, changes in product plans or market conditions. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.
Trademarks
Bluetooth is a trademark owned by the Bluetooth SIG.
*Price for quantities in excess of 2M units in 2002.
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