Industry's First Mobile Radio Triple Play with WLAN, Bluetooth(R) and FM Audio Integrated Solution from TI

Industry's First Mobile Radio Triple Play with WLAN, Bluetooth(R) and FM Audio Integrated Solution from TI

April 06, 2006

WiLink(TM) 5.0 Platform Significantly Cuts Solution Size, Provides Seamless Connectivity Experience for Consumers

    DALLAS, April 6 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Texas
Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) today announced
the industry's first solution that integrates mobile WLAN
(mWLAN), Bluetooth(R) and FM stereo audio all in a
space-saving platform for mobile phones.  As the fifth
generation of TI's mWLAN platform, the WiLink(TM) 5.0
solution provides a quick time to market for handset
manufacturers and caters to evolving consumer tastes for
rapid data access, mobile entertainment and seamless
connectivity between the WLAN and cellular networks.  (See
http://www.ti.com/wilink_5 for more information.)

    "The market for mobile WLAN is maturing, and
manufacturers need optimized solutions that address tighter
synergy and system operation between WLAN and Bluetooth, as
well as adequate support to keep up with the evolution of
fixed mobile convergence," said Marc Cetto, general
manager of TI's Mobile Connectivity Solutions Business. 
"With the WiLink 5.0 platform, TI addresses these
requirements by leveraging its core product portfolio,
proven experience and deployment in the cellular market,
WLAN, Bluetooth and digital radio domains." 

    TI brings seamless cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity to
consumers with VoWLAN functionality, optimized on TI's
OMAP-Vox(TM) and WiLink solutions, enabling UMA on the
handset across multiple operating systems such as
Symbian(TM), Microsoft(R) Windows Mobile(R), Linux(R) and
low level operating systems.  UMA provides consumers
on-the-go voice access over WLAN or the cellular network
using their mobile phones, and will transition to IMS as
the fixed mobile convergence market matures.

    The WiLink 5.0 platform integrates TI's recently
announced BlueLink (TM) 6.0 solution, which combines the
industry's best performance Bluetooth with high fidelity FM
stereo and mono performance on a single chip (see news
release at http://www.ti.com/bluelink_6 ).  The combination
of mWLAN, Bluetooth and FM functionality allows users to
perform a variety of simultaneous tasks, such as listening
to the radio music on a Bluetooth headset while checking
email via Wi-Fi.

    Manufactured in TI's innovative DRP(TM) technology at
the 90 nanometer node, the WiLink 5.0 device cuts both
solution size and power consumption by up to 20 percent
over competitive solutions, in critical modes of operation.


    With three co-located radios, efficient management of
RF is required for simultaneous operation of WLAN,
Bluetooth and FM applications.  The WiLink 5.0 platform
takes advantage of TI's expertise from the company's four
previous generations of mobile WLAN solutions, which are
being shipped in more than 25 mobile handset devices and
cellular convergence products today.  The platform uses the
second generation of TI's Bluetooth/WLAN hardware and
software coexistence package, enabling re-use of existing
systems, quick time to market and antenna sharing, reducing
the bill of materials (BOM) for manufacturers. 

    TI will demonstrate its Bluetooth/802.11 coexistence
package for mobile devices this week at CTIA Wireless 2006,
April 5-7, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, in Central
Hall - Booth #1039.  The coexistence demo runs a VoWLAN
call routed to a Bluetooth headset over a shared antenna
with no additional components, using TI's WiLink 4.0 mWLAN
solution and BlueLink 5.0 Bluetooth single-chip solution,
powered by an OMAP1710 applications processor.  
Availability

    TI is currently sampling WiLink 5.0 solutions to select
customers.  TI will provide multiple package options,
including on-board and module solutions. Wide sample
availability of WiLink 5.0 solutions are expected to be
available in late 2006.  Handsets using the WiLink 5.0
platform are expected to be on the market in early 2007. 

    Texas Instruments -- Making Wireless

    TI is the leading manufacturer of wireless
semiconductors, delivering the heart of today's wireless
technology and building solutions for tomorrow.  TI
provides a breadth of silicon and software and 16 years of
wireless systems expertise that spans handsets and base
stations for all communications standards, wireless LAN,
GPS, Digital TV, Bluetooth(R) and Ultra Wideband.  TI
offers custom to turn-key solutions, including complete
chipsets and reference designs, OMAP(TM) application
processors, as well as core digital signal processor and
analog technologies built on advanced semiconductor
processes.  Please visit
http://www.ti.com/wirelesspressroom for additional
information.

    About Texas Instruments

    Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP
and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world
signal processing requirements. In addition to
Semiconductor, the company's businesses include Sensors
& Controls, and Educational & Productivity
Solutions.  TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has
manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25
countries.

    Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol TXN.  More information is located
on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com .

    Trademarks

    WiLink, BlueLink, DRP, OMAP and OMAP-Vox are trademarks
of Texas Instruments.  Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of
the Wi-Fi Alliance.  Bluetooth word mark and logos are
owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks
by Texas Instruments is under license.  All trademarks and
registered trademarks are property of their respective
owners.

    For more information, please contact:

     Tracy Wright
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

     Michelle Rudolph
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  Texas Instruments Incorporated