Product category:
Communications ICs (Wireless)
News Release from: Staccato Communications
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 31 March 2006
Roadmap points Bluetooth towards WiMedia
UWB
Staccato Communications has announced its full support for the Bluetooth Special Interest Group's selection of WiMedia UWB as its platform for next generation Bluetooth technology.
Staccato Communications has announced its full support for the Bluetooth Special Interest Group's (SIG) selection of WiMedia UWB as its platform for next generation Bluetooth technology Staccato has also outlined its three-step product roadmap for the convergence of Certified Wireless USB, WiMedia WiNet (Internet Protocol) and Bluetooth/Bluetooth-over-UWB technologies
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 6 Apr 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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Ripcord is billed as the industry's first true single-chip all-CMOS solution based on Certified Wireless USB.
Step one involves combining existing Bluetooth solutions with Staccato's Ripcord solution based on Certified Wireless USB on a single MiniCard and USB dongle reference designs for PC applications.
The second stage is to port Bluetooth-over-UWB software profile(s), as specified by the Bluetooth SIG, directly on to Staccato's Ripcord silicon.
And step three involves the integration of any new silicon blocks required by the Bluetooth-over-UWB specification into Staccato's existing Ripcord single-chip, all-CMOS solution.
Further reading
Design kits point to Certified Wireless USB
Staccato Communications has announced a collaboration effort to jointly develop reference designs for the Certified Wireless USB market with Cypress Semiconductor Corp.
Wireless technologies unite on Mini Card
Reference design kit is the industry's first solution that combines both Bluetooth technology and Certified Wireless USB onto a single PCI Express Mini Card form factor.
Designs ease Certified Wireless USB development
Staccato Communications is preparing to submit six reference designs based on Certified Wireless USB for certification by the USB-IF, US FCC certification, and Japan TELEC regulatory approval.
The first step combines legacy Bluetooth support with the approximately 250x performance improvement that comes with Certified Wireless USB.
This allows customers to launch combination solutions into the market immediately.
The second step includes the new Bluetooth-over-UWB specification on Staccato's single-chip Ripcord product.
This step will realise the vision shared by Staccato and WiMedia of "one-radio, multiple protocols" for the first time by providing simultaneous support for Certified Wireless USB, WiMedia's WiNet protocol, due later this year, and the new Bluetooth-over-UWB protocol, expected to be finalised in 2007.
The third step would then finally integrate any additional silicon blocks required into the current Ripcord single-chip, all-CMOS package enabling all wireless personal area network (WPAN) standards to be supported on a single inexpensive silicon solution.
"Staccato's single-chip CMOS UWB solution will allow it to benefit from a growing number of applications for UWB solutions, including Bluetooth-over-UWB and Certified Wireless USB.
And the fact that it offers a multiprotocol device puts Staccato in an excellent position against the competition", said Brian O'Rourke, Senior Analyst for In-Stat.
Staccato's product roadmap is enabled by the Ripcord PIKT (protocol independent kernel) MAC (medium access control) technology, which is a protocol independent kernel, based on a custom implementation of hardware acceleration and ARM9 software control.
This patent-pending technology has been designed for gigabit-speed heterogeneous protocol environments exactly like the Certified Wireless USB/WiNet/Bluetooth combination enabled by this announcement.
"Our architecture and product plans have long anticipated the announcement by the Bluetooth SIG".
"We expect to be the first to introduce Bluetooth-over-UWB compliant products with multiprotocol support", said Marty Colombatto, Chief Executive Officer of Staccato Communications.
"Staccato not only shares WiMedia's vision of 'one-radio multiple protocols', we helped create much of the underlying specifications that make it possible".
"The world needs only one radio for all wireless personal area networks and that's what we intend to provide using our Ripcord PIK MAC technology as the foundation".
"The Bluetooth SIG's action sets a clear and definitive path for the next generation of Bluetooth technology and we welcome this decision", said Roberto Aiello, Chief Technology Officer of Staccato Communications and WiMedia Board member.
"We view the two technologies as completely complementary and we believe the WiMedia radio platform was the ideal choice considering its broad support among industry leaders, its ability to meet interoperability and worldwide regulatory requirements and its support for multiprotocol designs with a single radio".
"Ripcord was designed by a staff of Staccato engineers with decades of combined experience in Bluetooth chip development".
"However, consumers don't really care about underlying technology, they care about making connections quickly and easily - and they expect it to work every time".
"Products based on Certified Wireless USB or Bluetooth-over-UWB and powered by Staccato's Ripcord chip will provide this functionality within a small form factor, with low power and low cost".
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