Qualcomm Sees Significant Traction In 802.11ac Wi-Fi With MU-MIMO For Home And Enterprise Networks

Manufacturers Adopt Qualcomm VIVE with Qualcomm MU | EFX for New Smartphones, Laptops and Networking Devices

San Diego, CA /PRNewswire/ - Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that its subsidiary, Qualcomm Atheros, Inc., has achieved significant traction in the adoption of its Qualcomm® VIVE™ solutions with Qualcomm® MU | EFX – its multi-user multi-input/multi-output (MU-MIMO) Wi-Fi® technology, which enables up to three times faster 802.11ac connections – addressing the exponential growth in connected devices in today's homes and enterprises. At the 2015 International CES show in Las Vegas, leading manufacturers are unveiling home networking products based on Qualcomm Atheros' 11ac solutions with MU-MIMO, while leading consumer device makers are endorsing the benefits of this Wave 2 11ac technology.

"When Wi-Fi was first developed, its creators did not anticipate a world with billions of wireless devices competing for bandwidth in every home and office," said Todd Antes, vice president of product management, Qualcomm Atheros, Inc. "Qualcomm has spent more than seven years developing MU-MIMO techniques – leveraging its unique position across mobile and networking – to improve Wi-Fi performance for the skyrocketing number of smartphones, tablets, computers, consumer electronics, and more. We appreciate that so many of our customers share our vision for the next-generation of Wi-Fi, and are committed to helping them proliferate the benefits of Qualcomm MU | EFX across the ecosystem."

Qualcomm VIVE is the only complete line of 802.11ac 2.0 solutions for smartphones, tablets, computing devices, networking equipment, consumer electronics, and automotive applications. With more devices connecting via Wi-Fi, VIVE enabled networks with Qualcomm MU | EFX can multi-task like never before – supporting more simultaneous devices to make better use of wireless capacity that is wasted in Wi-Fi networks that serve one device at a time. As a result, Qualcomm MU | EFX helps consumers experience Wi-Fi to its maximum effect, with up to three times faster connections than other 802.11ac solutions currently available.

Qualcomm Atheros has achieved significant traction with its 11ac with MU-MIMO technology, with a number of manufacturers designing in and expressing a commitment to this advanced Wi-Fi, including Acer, Amped Wireless, Buffalo, D-Link, NEC, TP-Link, TRENDnet, and Xiaomi.

Smartphones and Computing Devices
"We have committed to integrating the latest, most innovative technologies into Acer's next generation Aspire notebooks to ensure consumers have the best possible experience," said Jerry Kao, president of Acer Notebook Business Group. "By designing in Qualcomm VIVE with Qualcomm MU | EFX MU-MIMO technology, we can provide customers a product that will keep up with their demands for high definition gaming, downloading and streaming 4K video, and any number of applications they use."

"At Xiaomi, we are delivering beautifully designed smartphones that are packed with high-performance features," said Tony Wei, senior director of marketing, Xiaomi. "Qualcomm MU | EFX is an important new technology that we expect will have a significant impact on Wi-Fi speeds and lead to better experiences for Xiaomi smartphone customers."

Routers and Access Points
"The Amped Wireless Athena Router, our C2550 router with Qualcomm Atheros 11ac plus MU-MIMO, will enable our customers to multi-task in more areas of their homes and on more devices, like they never have before," said Lacey Limbrick, brand and marketing manager, Amped Wireless. "We're excited to introduce an Amped Wireless extreme-range router coupled with this groundbreaking technology."

"Hitting the shelves soon, the WXR2533 router is an important new product line," said Tsuyoshi Tomiyama, general manager of BBS business unit, Buffalo. "This new product will provide powerful connectivity with powerful performance, in part due to the innovative MU-MIMO technology Qualcomm Atheros has delivered to the industry."

"The integration of Qualcomm Atheros MU-MIMO into our 11ac routers will mean a major shift in the experience consumers have using our products," said AJ Wang, chief technology officer, D-LINK. "Every online activity will benefit, from streaming 4K content to gaming to online shopping and more."

"Using advanced spatial division multiplexing, MU-MIMO is a great technology that will rapidly penetrate into the home networking segment," said Mamoru Nagatani, vice president, NEC Platforms. "With Qualcomm Atheros' experience and knowledge in advanced wireless, we are confident that its MU-MIMO will help us bring the best possible connected consumer experiences and carrier services to fruition."

"TP-LINK is introducing a new router featuring Qualcomm VIVE with Qualcomm MU | EFX technology to address varying requirements of home and small business networks," said Lewis Wu, vice president of TP-LINK USA. "The Archer AC2600 will revolutionize wireless networking to provide consumers an unexpectedly fast and robust connection."

"With the number of connected devices per home expected to grow from seven to 20 this decade, the need for a router to effectively manage all devices is greater than ever," said Pei Huang, chief executive officer of TRENDnet. "We chose to use the Qualcomm Atheros QCA9880 VIVE 802.11ac chipset in our extreme performance AC2600 Dual Band Wireless Router, model TEW-827DRU, because of its ground breaking performance and Qualcomm MU | EFX technology, which enables the router to serve multiple devices simultaneously—instead of limiting traffic by processing devices one at time."

Qualcomm VIVE with Qualcomm MU | EFX solutions are available now.

About Qualcomm Incorporated
Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is a world leader in 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies. Qualcomm Incorporated includes Qualcomm's licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of its patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of Qualcomm's engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of its products and services businesses, including its semiconductor business, QCT. For more than 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of digital communications, linking people everywhere more closely to information, entertainment and each other. For more information, visit Qualcomm's website, OnQ blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.

Qualcomm and VIVE are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. Qualcomm VIVE and Qualcomm MU | EFX are products of Qualcomm Atheros, Inc. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Other products and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.