TI Introduces 5-in-one Wireless Chip

By Doug Lung
published


TI introduced the WiLink 8.0 family of connectivity solutions this week. WiLink 8.0 solutions can integrate up to five different radios on a single chip. The radios include Wi-Fi, GPS/GNSS (positioning), NFC (Near Field Communications), Bluetooth and FM transmit/receive capability. Each chip variant includes all required RF front ends and can be mounted directly on a PCB. The chip includes a complete power management system and what TI terms "comprehensive coexistence mechanisms." Chips are sampling today to top-tier mobile OEMs and it will be demonstrated in booth 8A84 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Feb. 27 to March 1. Products in the WiLink 8.0 solution are expected to ship in the second half of 2012.

I was pleased to see TI included FM radio capability in the WiLink 8.0 series. It would be great if the next version, (WiLink 9.0?) included ATSC Mobile DTV!

More information is available, including a block diagram, a product bulletin and video is available on the TI Mobile Wireless LAN: WiLink 8.0 Solutions web page.


Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.