Atmel signs up as second source for WirelessUSB

Atmel is to manufacture and sell chips based on Cypress's industry leading 2.4GHz WirelessUSB technology.

Atmel is to manufacture and sell chips based on Cypress's industry leading 2.4GHz WirelessUSB technology.

According to an agreement signed this week, Atmel will license Cypress's WirelessUSB technology and algorithms, and will be capable of shipping compatible devices from Q3 this year in what both companies say is an important step toward open standardisation of the technology.

The technology will be offered and supported via Atmel's sales and support channels, while also continuing to be offered by Cypress.

"Cypress has put the concept of WirelessUSB on the map, with a family of products that resonates with manufacturers", said Scott Smyser, Senior Analyst, frequency control, RF and wireless at iSuppli Corp.

"Atmel's addition to the WirelessUSB team will give customers the added flexibility of being able to design with a true multisource solution".

"This will help drive adoption of the technology and put WirelessUSB on a path to becoming a predominant solution for the point-to-point wire replacement space".

"WirelessUSB is the right technology for the wireless desktop, providing a simple, low cost, low power alternative to other wireless standards like Bluetooth and other offerings", said Bob McConnell, Vice President and General Manager, RF and Automotive Business Unit at Atmel.

"We've seen so much interest from major OEMs that we believe this technology is well on its way to becoming the de-facto standard for low-datarate wireless connectivity".

"Atmel aims to add to this momentum".

WirelessUSB, a robust, radio-system-on-a-chip technology introduced by Cypress in late 2002, has been shipping in production since December 2003 and has secured several major customer design wins, including Saitek and NMB.

The technology is noted for its sub-$2 price tag, immunity to interference and ease of integration.

WirelessUSB was engineered to address the non-networking-end of the wireless world, targeting point-to-point and multipoint-to-point applications that today are largely served by proprietary solutions based on 27, 433, 868 and 900MHz technologies.

Cathal Phelan, Vice President of Cypress's Personal Communications Division, said that Atmel is an ideal WirelessUSB partner.

"Like Cypress, Atmel has its own, low cost, high quality manufacturing capabilities and is well entrenched in embedded markets, providing good synergy between the two companies".

"We are seeing great interest in WirelessUSB from the world's largest keyboard, mouse and game controller makers, many of which are planning product launches for the end-of-year holiday shopping season", Phelan added.

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