Infineon Expands its Market-Leading CMOS RF Portfolio with Multi-Mode, Energy-Efficient WiMAX/WiFi CMOS RF-Transceiver

Munich, Germany and Orlando, Florida, March 27, 2007 - Infineon Technologies (FSE/NYSE: IFX), a leading provider of communication ICs, today introduced the world’s smallest, single-chip multi-mode dual-band CMOS RF-transceiver for WiMAX/WiFi applications.  The SMARTi® WiMAX which supports both IEEE 802.16e WiMAX and IEEE 802.11b/g WLAN in a single CMOS RF silicon chip, will enable broadband wireless applications to incorporate value-added services beyond 3G, including high-speed data downloads, video sharing and VoIP.  The SMARTi® WiMAX supports the entire spectrum of licensed WiMAX frequencies, allowing for worldwide implementation and seamless roaming using a single RF device. 

 

Taking advantage of the Infineon advanced semi-ball-grid-array Packaging technology, the SMARTi® WiMAX features a footprint of only 5 x 5 mm2, nearly fifty percent smaller than competing solutions. Power consumption is also fifty percent lower than the industry benchmark, making the SMARTi® WiMAX a highly energy-efficient solution. Additional cost savings for handset manufacturers are achieved by integrating all the necessary configurable baseband filters into the chip, thus allowing for a low system bill of materials (BOM). Full support for multiple channel bandwidths, from 3.5 MHz to 20 MHz, as well a wide range of reference clock frequencies, makes the SMARTi® WiMAX a highly flexible solution that can interface with any standard WiMAX or WiFi baseband on the market using the chip’s standard analog I/Q and serial programming interfaces.

 

According to Alex Green, Research Director at IMS Research, "Infineon is the first supplier to offer a combined WiMAX/WiFi RF solution with the launch of the SMARTi® WiMAX." Green continued, "IMS forecasts that the WiMAX IC market will top $1.5 billion in 2012; with much of this being driven by combined WiMAX/WiFi ICs. Infineon has staked its claim to become a leader in this fast-growing market". 

 

“The multimode SMARTi® WiMAX will allow end user devices to support new high-speed services in many different networking environments, and enable cellular service providers to enhance their offering and gain additional revenue streams” said Stefan Wolff, Vice President and General Manager of Infineon’s RF Engine Business Unit. “Infineon has already gained extensive experience in cellular market with our leading RF solutions for all cellular standards. Now we are well poised to serve our customers with a best-in-class WiMAX RF solution for applications beyond 3G.”

 

About the SMARTi® WiMAX

 

The SMART®i WiMAX is the world’s smallest dual-band RF transceiver supporting both IEEE 802.16e WiMAX and IEEE 802.11b/g WLAN in a single CMOS RF silicon chip. Measuring just 5 x 5 mm2, the SMARTi® WiMAX provides excellent EVM (Error Vector Magnitude) and best-in-class current consumption for 802.16e over its leading-edge RF CMOS technology.  Due to its exceptional low noise figure SMARTi® WiMAX helps to significantly reduce size and component count of a WiMAX front-end by eliminating the need of external Low Noise Preamplifiers as used in existing solutions. Supporting 64QAM (64-state Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), the SMARTi® WIMAX also supports LTE (Long-Term-Evolution) requirements as needed for upcoming 4G standards.

 

The SMARTi® WiMAX is available in sample quantities and will be ready for mass production the second half of 2007.

Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society including energy efficiency, connectivity and security. In fiscal year 2006 (ending September), the company achieved sales of Euro 7.9 billion (including Qimonda sales of Euro 3.8 billion) with approximately 42,000 employees worldwide (including approximately 12,000 Qimonda employees). With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the US from Milpitas, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX). Further information is available at www.infineon.com.