Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today introduced the BCM47521, the industry's first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chip with a unique architecture to enable geofence capabilities while preserving battery life.  Geofence technology is a breakthrough in virtual perimeter awareness. The new chip opens the door to innovative always-on, location-aware applications such as social networking, place-based mobile commerce and local merchant advertising.  Broadcom will showcase its GNSS innovations at the upcoming Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, February 25-28. Visit Broadcom @ Mobile World Congress for more news.

A geographical region of interest (aka "geofence") is being used by many new and innovative location-aware applications.  The geofence feature enables the application to receive a notification when a user enters or exits a virtual perimeter. However, the implementation of this feature in traditional architectures is not viable as the applications processor needs to run constantly, causing rapid drain to the device's battery. Broadcom's new BCM47521 overcomes this issue, making it possible to continuously monitor geofence areas while consuming 60x less battery power. 

"The astounding growth of mobile devices is driving new opportunities for inventive applications that deliver valuable location-aware information," said Scott Pomerantz, Broadcom Vice President & General Manager, GPS.  "With the BCM47521's low-power geofence mode, Broadcom is driving the next wave of system power consumption innovation that will allow OEMs to incorporate features that differentiate their mobile offerings and make location-aware, always-on applications a reality." 

The BCM47521 chip also provides the industry's most advanced multi-constellation support by simultaneously collecting data from four satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, QZSS and SBAS) and using the best received signals, resulting in faster searches and more accurate real-time navigation.  Broadcom's multi-constellation technology, coupled with advanced signal processing, provides faster positioning performance for improved user experience, especially in challenging urban environments where buildings and obstructions can dramatically impact accuracy and time-to-first-fix.

Key Features and Benefits:

• 60x better system power efficiency versus a host-based architecture due to:
  • Advanced host-offload mode monitors geofences in the background and only activates the applications processor when there is a trigger event
  • Smart algorithms that adapt in real-time as the user gets closer to a geofence boundary
• Lowest board space, power consumption and cost:
  • The 40 nanometer (nm) BCM47521 has the same board space, power consumption and cost advantages as its BCM4752 predecessor
• Based on proven BCM4752 GNSS architecture platform:
  • Industry-leading urban navigation accuracy integrates handset inertial sensor readings into the position computation
  • Best-in-class assisted GNSS (AGNSS) assistance data available worldwide from Broadcom's hosted reference network
  • Indoor positioning capabilities leveraging Broadcom's device connectivity including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communications (NFC) and handset inertial sensor data

Availability

The BCM47521 is currently in production and will be shipping in handsets by Q2 2013. 

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.