Intel has announced the availability of its 4G voice and data LTE modem and said the chip, the XMM 7160, is being used in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablet, available in Asia and Europe. Intel previously offered a data-only 4G LTE modem.
The XMM 7160 is a multimode, multiband LTE modem for use in mobile phones and tablet computers. It supports 15 LTE bands and is voice-over LTE capable. Features include envelope tracking and antenna tuning for power saving and global LTE roaming, allowing one chip to be designed-in for a global product design. The commercial availability of the XMM 7160 follows successful interoperability testing with major infrastructure vendors and tier-one operators across Asia, Europe and North America.
In addition to launching the XMM 7160, Intel (Santa Clara, Calif.) has introduced PCIe M.2 modules carrying the modem and an integrated radio frequency transceiver module, the Smarti m4G.
The M.2 module supports peak downlink speeds of 100Mbps over LTE as well as satellite navigation systems based on the Intel CG1960 chip. The M.2 module is currently undergoing interoperability testing with mobile phone service providers. Intel M.2-based modules will soon be available from Huawei, Sierra Wireless and Telit, Intel said.
The Smarti m4G was developed in cooperation with Murata and integrates a 4G RF transceiver with most front-end components in a low-temperature, co-fired ceramic package.
In 2014 Intel plans to deliver the XMM 7260, adding LTE Advanced features such as carrier aggregation, faster speeds and support for both TD-LTE and TD-SCDMA. Intel has also said it will deliver an integrated application processor and LTE baseband modem in 2014. This is something that Qualcomm has had for some time which has helped it capture a large part of the application processor market.
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