CSR’s UniVox Mobile enables dual mode VoIP phone for mass market

WirelessDesignAsia writes…CSR plc has launched UniVox Mobile to enable mass market dual mode VoIP mobile handsets. The UniVox Mobile reference design contains all the additional hardware and software to turn a mobile handset into a wirelessly enabled handset that can take and make Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) calls. Based on CSR’s single chip WiFi solution UniFi, the hardware element of UniVox Mobile also includes Bluetooth functionality via a choice of BlueCore4-ROM or BlueCore5-FM. In addition to supporting VoWiFi, UniVox Mobile also enables WiFi to be used as the bearer for other services, such as web browsing and multimedia streaming.

By reusing many of the techniques honed while making its Bluetooth chips, CSR’s UniFi can perform accurate and intelligent control in powering up the various parts of the chip to achieve ultra low power consumption. In addition, CSR has implemented a highly flexible coexistence engine that can be configured to cope with the multitude of coexistence scenarios, such as VoIP calls with audio routed to a Bluetooth headset.

In head-to-head comparisons, when both WiFi and Bluetooth are used concurrently, data throughput for UniVox Mobile is significantly faster than competitive offerings on the market. By providing both hardware and software elements customers can benefit from fast time to market for dual mode products.

Raj Gawera, Marketing Manager for the WiFi Strategic Business Unit, CSR, commented: “It’s clear that consumers like the concept of the dual mode phone, however until now it has proved tricky to deliver the power consumption and voice quality that the end customer requires. With these issues overcome, we believe that dual mode phones present a tremendous opportunity for manufacturers. UniVox Mobile has been designed from the bottom up using power saving and coexistence technologies that we have developed specifically to ensure a smooth user experience.”