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IBM launches chipset on unlicensed waveband
Lots of data but not much distance...
IBM says its latest chip could boost wireless data transfer to ten times the current capacity.
The silicon-germanium chip uses an unlicensed section of the radio spectrum. There have been previous attempts to exploit the 30-300GHz wavelength bands, but they've been hampered by cost, size and difficulty integrating with other chips.
The chip includes transmitter, receiver and two antennas in a package the size of a dime.
Big Blue says the chips could be used to set up personal-area networks - working at less than ten metres. The technology could also be used for beaming uncompressed video content to a flat-screen display.
A report on this work will be presented tomorrow at San Francisco's Solid State Circuits conference.
Naked chip pictures available here. ®
Biting the hand that feeds IT
