Intel Tests Adding 802.11n to Centrino

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews
June 17, 2005, 12:28 PM
Researchers from Intel announced at a conference in Kyoto, Japan on Friday that they have successfully created a single chip that integrates 802.11a, b and g, as well as the expected specifications of 802.11n. The company plans to use the development as a way to integrate wireless into future Intel products, such as the Centrino platform, at low cost.
802.11n promises to offer better range and higher data rates than current wireless networks. While current wireless technologies only offer a maximum speed of about 54 Mbps, 802.11n will approximately double that to about 100 Mbps.

In order for today’s devices to offer connections to multiple networks, more than one radio is required to handle each of the different standards. With the new technology, only one radio will be required, allowing for smaller devices at a lower cost.
Intel says its goal is “the ability to connect to any network, anytime, anywhere on any device.”
The manufacturing process for the chip is tied to the CMOS, a type of semiconductor chip used in portable computers due to its minimal power requirements. Intel says that this process has allowed the company to produce high volumes of the chip, with low power consumption, and at a relatively low cost.
“This system-in-a-package design uses more low-voltage circuitry than we’ve ever used in the past, which means we can integrate it and make it lower cost while operating at lower voltages and providing longer battery life,” Krishnamurthy Soumyanath, director of Intel’s Communications Circuits Research Lab told attendees.
“[The technology] is expected to support data rates higher than 100 megabits per second that should allow people to enjoy multiple high-quality video streams concurrently.”
Intel does not have a solid date as to when the technology will become available to consumers.