高通Atheros的頂級技術(shù)專家對Wi-Fi的未來做出了猜想，并在簡要分析了Windows 8系統(tǒng)使用ARM處理器的前景。 新興的IEEE 802.11ac標準，在5GHz的頻率下提供千兆每秒的速度，代表了未來Wi-Fi的主流，高通公司W(wǎng)i-Fi部門蜂窩通信芯片技術(shù)副總裁William McFarland表示。 802.11ad 60GHz的標準，將對802.11ac起到一定的補充作用，更長遠的未來發(fā)展目前還不清楚，他說。 除了.11ac和.11ad采用的標準，“目前我們還沒有太多現(xiàn)成的無線設(shè)計工具”，McFarland說, “我們還沒有實現(xiàn)多址OFDMA技術(shù)或者多用戶上行，這很難做到。”他補充說。 5GHz 802.11ac和60GHz 802.11ad標準的芯片樣本，應(yīng)該可以在今年年底出片，對應(yīng)的系統(tǒng)產(chǎn)品預(yù)計明年年底上市。 802.11ac標準采用5GHz的多用戶MIMO和256 QAM。該技術(shù)可以幫助它在現(xiàn)有Wi-Fi發(fā)射范圍內(nèi)，使用80MHz帶寬和至少有三個天線的條件下，達到千兆每秒的速度時，。 “這將是一個大的噱頭 - 我們將會全力打造它，”McFarland說。 60GHz 802.11ad標準可以支持高達7Gbits/s甚至更寬的通道，但由于60GHz的信號傳播困難，只能被限制在一個房間內(nèi)使用。 802.11ac產(chǎn)品最終將取代802.11n產(chǎn)品。他說，而60GHz的產(chǎn)品則將開辟新的應(yīng)用，例如在一個房間里的高速視頻傳輸。 “我們覺得這兩個系統(tǒng)有很大的不同，并沒有真正相互競爭，”他補充說。最終，許多模塊將同時支持這兩種標準。 一月份的ISSCC會議上，工程師們對5GHz和60GHz的優(yōu)缺點展開了辯論。一些代表指出，中國沒有802.11ac 5GHz所需要的80MHz頻段用于傳輸千兆數(shù)據(jù)。 此外，McFarland 表示，高通公司已經(jīng)領(lǐng)先其他公司推出了支持Windows 8的ARM處理器產(chǎn)品。 McFarland說，“高通用了"大量的團隊"，以支持它的Snapdragon處理器和Windows 8”。Windows 8運行在ARM上，我們是絕對領(lǐng)先的。 “最早一款基于Windows的ARM平臺，將是Snapdragon?！彼f。 微軟說，將有四個版本的Windows 8出現(xiàn)，分別對應(yīng)高通的Snapdragon，X86，NVIDIA的Tegra和德州儀器的OMAP處理器。最初基于ARM的系統(tǒng)預(yù)計將主要是平板電腦，雖然有些人也可能會把它用在筆記本電腦上。 高通“希望隨著時間的推移，我們能供應(yīng)基于這些平臺的所有芯片，甚至顯示方面也是，” McFarland說，暗指該公司的Mirasol組。 “目前的重點是基礎(chǔ)供應(yīng)，但我們正在致力于開發(fā)更好的一攬子解決方案，”McFarland說。 “一旦成功，我們可以涉足更廣泛的平臺?！? Atheros公司長期以來一直為PC制造商提供Wi-Fi芯片，手機芯片制造商會成為他們的一個新客戶群。 編譯：Luffy Liu 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times,版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 參考英文原文：Atheros: 5, not 60 GHz is real future of Wi-Fi，by Rick Merritt

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{pagination} Atheros: 5, not 60 GHz is real future of Wi-Fi Rick Merritt SAN JOSE, Calif. – The top technologist of Qualcomm Atheros scoped out the future of Wi-Fi and gave comments on the outlook for Windows 8 systems using ARM processors at a briefing here. The emerging IEEE 802.11ac standard for delivering gigabit/speeds over 5 GHz represents the future of mainstream Wi-Fi, said William McFarland, vice president of technology for the Wi-Fi division of the cellular chip maker. The .11ad 60 GHz standard will play a complementary but more limited role, and beyond that the future is unclear, he said. "There are not too many [wireless design tools] left on the table" beyond what the .11ac and .11ad standards are adopting, McFarland said. "We haven't implemented multiple-access OFDMA or multi-user uplink yet, but that's very difficult to do," he added. Sample chips for the 5 GHz 802.11ac and the 60 GHz 802.11ad standards should emerge late this year with systems products following late next year. The .11ac standard adopts multiuser MIMO and 256 QAM over 5 GHz. The techniques help it deliver Gbit/s speeds over existing Wi-Fi ranges when using 80 MHz of bandwidth and at least three antennas. "It will be a big splash--we will make it a big splash," said McFarland. The 60 GHz .11ad standard could support up to 7 Gbits/s thanks to even wider channels, but will be limited to use within a room due to difficulty of propagating the 60 GHz signals. The .11ac products will eventually replace .11n products. The 60 GHz products will open up new applications such as high-speed video transfers within a room, he said. "We feel the two systems are quite different and not really competitive with each other," he added. Ultimately, many modules will support both standards, he said. At ISSCC in January, engineers debated the relative merits of the 5 and 60 GHz approaches. Some noted China does not have the 80 MHz bands at 5 GHz needed to deliver the .11ac Gbit/s rates. Separately, McFarland said Qualcomm is ahead of the pack of companies supporting Microsoft's Windows 8 on ARM processors. The company created "a substantial team" to support Windows 8 on its Snapdragon processors and "is very much in the lead for getting Windows 8 running on top of ARM," McFarland said. "One of the first platforms for big Windows on ARM will be Snapdragon," he said. Microsoft is said to be working on four versions of Windows 8--one each for the x86, Snapdragon, Nvidia's Tegra and Texas Instruments' Omap processor. The initial ARM-based systems are expected to be mainly tablets, although some may deliver notebooks as well. Qualcomm "wants to supply all the silicon in one of those platforms over time even the display," said McFarland, pointing to the company's Mirasol group. "Today the focus is just getting out a basic offering, but we are working on getting this bundle put together in a nicer way," McFarland said. "Once that’s in control, we can look more broadly at ways to differentiate platforms," he added. Atheros has long been supplying Wi-Fi chips to PC makers, a new customer base for the cellular chip maker.