Broadcom brings 650Mbit/s speed to smartphones with WiFi-ac chip

Broadcom has announced a WiFi chip for mobile devices that can theoretically reach speeds of up to 650Mbit/s. The BCM4358 works with 802.11ac technology and, according to the manufacturer, is the fastest chip available for mobile phones.

The arrival of the fast WiFi chip for mobile phones was revealed by Broadcom on its website. According to the manufacturer, the chip is mainly intended for use in high-end smartphones and tablets, although nothing is known about manufacturers that are interested. The chip has been named BCM4358 and is based on the 802.11ac Wi-Fi protocol. In theory, Broadcom claims to be able to achieve speeds of up to 650Mbit/s, which, according to the manufacturer, is twice as fast as the current fastest Wi-Fi chips for smartphones and tablets.

Mobile devices equipped with the BCM4358 should also perform better if WiFi and Bluetooth are on at the same time. Due to interference, the two wireless technologies can negatively affect each other’s performance. This interference has been reduced by 50 percent with the BCM4358, although it is not clear what the manufacturer compares itself to. The Wi-Fi chip should also enable accurate location determination with a deviation of about one meter.

According to Broadcom, the new Wi-Fi chip is already in production and the first mobile devices with the BCM4358 will be released this quarter. It is not yet known exactly which products these are.