Broadcom Announces Industry's First GNSS Location Hub for Smartphones to Support Galileo Satellite System

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

News Highlights:

• Increases accuracy with simultaneous support for six constellations
• Reduces power consumption up to 95 percent by offloading calculations from the application processor (AP)
• Recognizes distinct user activity for better location intelligence  

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today announced the industry's first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) location hub that supports Galileo, a global satellite system being built by the European Union. For more news, visit Broadcom's Newsroom.

The Broadcom® BCM4774 simultaneously supports Galileo, GPS, GLONASS, SBAS, QZSS and BeiDou satellite systems. With a planned deployment of up to 30 additional satellites for Galileo, smartphones with built-in support for this new system will experience an even higher level of accuracy and better positioning with faster times to first fix. The unique architecture of the location hub enables the main AP on the smartphone to reduce computation load and stay in sleep mode for extended periods of time by offloading data calculations to the BCM4774. In certain modes, Broadcom's advanced hardware design and increased memory can reduce power consumption by up to 95 percent over traditional architectures, significantly conserving battery life in mobile devices.

"Today's announcement represents yet another navigation benchmark for Broadcom with the industry's first GNSS location hub for smartphones to support the Galileo satellite system," said Rahul Patel, Senior Vice President, Wireless Connectivity. "We are committed to pushing the limits on location technology by delivering premium performance and enhanced device intelligence while consuming minimal power."  

Additionally, Broadcom's new solution recognizes various context states, adding more value to the data that is gathered from mobile devices. For example, a smartphone with the BCM4774 can tell the difference between a user that is walking, running or cycling and provides positioning updates that match the identified state for more precise data results. By processing the data directly on the BCM4774 versus the main AP, Broadcom reduces battery drain and creates opportunities for developers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to determine how this information is analyzed and delivered to consumers.

Key Features:

• Additional on-chip memory delivers complex on-chip positioning and sensor hub capabilities 
• Easy-to-use API allows OEMs to port their specific sensor fusion code onto BCM4774
• Additional hardware optimization further increases AP power savings through offloading of sensor fusion, on-chip positioning, geofencing and location batching
• Integration of GNSS receiver and sensor hub reduces board area by 30 percent
• Ultra-low power on-chip positioning enables background and foreground location using GNSS
• On-chip Wi-Fi positioning using a direct connect communication protocol to Broadcom's family of connectivity combo chips
• Enhanced Batching support with the largest batch space in a sensor hub for all devices connected to the location hub, including Wi-Fi, MEMS and GNSS

Availability
The Broadcom BCM4774 is currently sampling with customers.

For ongoing news, visit Broadcom's Newsroom, read the B-Connected Blog, or visit Facebook or Twitter. And to stay connected, subscribe to Broadcom's RSS Feed.

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 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® and the Connecting everything 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.

SOURCE Broadcom Corporation; BRCM Wireless and Connectivity

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