8-Stream MU-MIMO Delivers 60 Percent Boost in Speed Over Today's Fastest Routers

News Highlights:

• Delivers 8X improvement in speed versus standard dual band routers
• Addresses new home networking demands driven by Ultra HD and the Internet of Things
• Powering routers available in Q3 2015

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today announced the industry's most advanced 8-Stream 5G WiFi XStream MU-MIMO platform. This second generation platform delivers an unrivalled 5.4 Gbps of total Wi-Fi data rates making it the fastest router platform available today. Broadcom will preview the new 5G WiFi XStream platform at COMPUTEX from June 2-6, Taipei, Taiwan. For more news, visit Broadcom's Newsroom.

The new 8-Stream platform is designed for homes with multiple devices that concurrently stream high-definition and Ultra HD content. By adding MU-MIMO support to Broadcom's 5G WiFi XStream "pentacore" platform, Broadcom is able to improve wireless networking efficiency and deliver an 8X improvement in speed versus standard dual band routers. Its platform is further enhanced by 1024 NitroQAM™ technology that boosts performance by an additional 25 percent versus previous generation 802.11ac solutions. It also achieves a higher reach and rate at range through high power RF on both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands. 

"The dramatic increase in the number of wirelessly connected devices in the home based on the Internet of Things is creating a need to deliver a new level of user experience. This trend, combined with the move to Ultra HD content and multi-gigabit Internet speeds, is driving a need for innovative home networking solutions that can optimize Wi-Fi performance," said Manny Patel, Broadcom Senior Director, Product Marketing, Wireless Connectivity. "Broadcom's new 5G WiFi XStream platform is designed to address the dynamics of today while laying the foundation for the infrastructure needed in the future."

"The latest 802.11ac routers and access points are gaining market share worldwide," said Phil Solis, ABI Research Director. "802.11ac router shipments grew significantly in 2014 and are expected to continue on that trajectory, with approximately 71 million consumer devices expected to ship in 2015. By designing a platform with 8-Stream capacity and MU-MIMO that's available today, Broadcom is well positioned to address this expanding opportunity."

"As consumers increasingly stream high-bandwidth video and play online games wirelessly at home, the need for powerful router platforms to support these activities has skyrocketed," said Sandeep Harpalani, NETGEAR Sr. Director Product Marketing.  "Broadcom has a proven track record of designing platforms that address the needs of our customers.  Their newest XStream platform addresses an immediate need for an even more reliable and powerful wireless experience."

"D-Link is committed to designing Wi-Fi routers that provide exceptional connectivity for everyone in the home," said AJ Wang, D-Link Systems, Inc. CTO.  "Broadcom's newest XStream platform is appealing as it addresses the needs of our multi-tasking customers who want to play online games and stream HD videos from multiple devices simultaneously - while also maintaining a fast and reliable wireless connection throughout the home."

"ASUS is a long-standing partner of Broadcom and is excited to see the company's continued innovation in wireless connectivity," said Tenlong Deng, ASUS Vice President of Networking and Wireless Devices Business Unit. "Broadcom's innovative XStream technology coupled with MU-MIMO is enabling industry partners like ASUS to design leading edge products that deliver the benefits consumers want and need."

Additional Key Features

• Five core processor ("pentacore") to realize maximum speeds delivers over 3.8GHz of CPU horse power
  • BCM47094 1.4 GHz Dual ARM^® Cortex^®-A9 host processor
  • Three BCM4366 4x4 radios, each with an integrated 800 MHz A7 CPU for Wi-Fi processing
• 5.4 Gbps aggregate PHY rate
• Eight stream capability at 5 GHz with 4 stream capability at 2.4 GHz
• Extended 5 GHz support adds three additional 80 MHz channels and two 160 MHz channels
• Zero-wait dynamic frequency selection (DFS) enables greater access and better use of cleaner 5GHz Wi-Fi channels resulting in faster downloads, higher quality Ultra HD streams and ability to connect to more devices
• Intelligent auto channel selection ensures that the most optimal channel is selected while maintaining a seamless end user experience
• Broadcom's SmartConnect software automatically ensures that 802.11ac devices in the home are not sharing airtime with slower Wi-Fi devices
• Explicit Tx Beamforming and AnyBeam provide extended reach for critical video streaming links
• Broadcom's Intelligent Quality of Service (iQoS) software identifies incoming traffic and allocates bandwidth so that streaming applications get the highest priority while other applications, like file downloads, run at a lower priority
• Broadcom's standards compliance ensures interoperability with currently shipping and future 802.11ac-based devices
• High-performance networked attached storage capability with the ability to deliver up to 1 Gbps NAS performance

Availability
Broadcom's 8-Stream 5G WiFi XStream platform is now sampling.

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About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a FORTUNE 500® company, is a global leader and innovator in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom® products seamlessly deliver voice, video, data and multimedia connectivity in the home, office and mobile environments.  With one of the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip solutions, Broadcom is changing the world by connecting everything®.  For more information, go to www.broadcom.com.

Broadcom®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything^®, the Connecting everything logo, NitroQAM^TM and the 5G WiFi logo are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU.  Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

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SOURCE Broadcom Corporation; BRCM Wireless and Connectivity