Broadcom's M-Stream Technology Used in Palm Treo 680 Phone

Broadcom Corporation announced that the new Palm Treo 680 smartphone is the first commercial cell phone to implement Broadcom's M-Stream technology. M-Stream technology provides significant improvements in handset reception and voice quality, without the need for additional bill of materials costs or modifications to an existing network infrastructure.

M-Stream technology applies advanced error correction algorithms to incoming voice streams, and reconstructs lost information to restore reception quality. Based on Broadcom's proprietary signal enhancement algorithms developed for mobile phones, M-Stream technology enables handsets to operate on standard GSM or WCDMA 3G networks with significant improvements in demodulated speech quality in poor signal conditions and measurable improvements in voice clarity.

"The availability of a commercial handset featuring M-Stream technology is a significant milestone that establishes Broadcom as a leading innovator in the mobile communications market," said Ketan Kamdar, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Network Operators in Broadcom's Mobile Platforms Group. "We're gratified that Palm selected Broadcom's silicon solutions and M-Stream technology to deliver a cost effective smartphone to carriers worldwide to deliver an improved customer calling experience."

For GSM networks, M-Stream typically provides a 2 to 3 dB signal/noise improvement over a wide range of channels, including weak signals, fading in areas where radio interference is present. In WCDMA 3G networks, M-Stream enables a 1 to 1.5 dB typical improvement. These enhancements benefit consumers by improving call quality while allowing mobile carriers to increase the number of supported callers on existing networks.