Broadcom Launches New Unified WLAN Solution

Irvine, California-based Broadcom Corporation has announced the launch of a new end-to-end unified WLAN solution for 802.11n enterprise networks.

Broadcom’s solution is a combination of a unified wireless switch called BCM56520, an access point (AP) SoC called codenamed BCM4748, and special software called FASTPATH Unified Wireless Switching (UWS) version 6.0.

The BCM56520 switch is part of the company’s StrataXGS Ethernet switch family, and is a true unified wireless / wireline switch that works with high-end wireless controllers. The switch incorporates up to 28 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) ports and six HiGig2 ports.

The BCM4748 AP SoC combines an 802.11n medium access controller (MAC), a baseband processor, a dual-band radio, a MIPS74K CPU, a GbE MAC, power amplifiers and other WLAN components on a single die.

The FASTPATH UWS software incorporates wireless virtualization software that enables centralized management for unified edge switching, which is preferred for wireless LAN solutions over controller-based switching. Version 6.0 of the software has the capability to drive wireless voice in the enterprise and supports additional features required for enterprise-grade voice over WLAN (VoWLAN).

According to market research sources, the access point market for 802.11n is expected to explode by more than 1,400% over the next five years.

Read about the latest development in 802.11n networks brought by Broadcom, here.