Atheros is working on a Wi-Fi 802.11n cell phone chip with Bluetooth 3.0

The latest Wi-Fi standard 802.11n has been commercially adopted recently and the first devices utilizing the technology are already on the market. None of them is actually a cell phone, but Atheros plans to change this. The manufacturer has announced the first chip incorporating the mentioned technology and specifically developed for cell phones, called the AR6133, is undergoing extensive testing. According to the official information, the AR6133 is able to achieve speeds of 85Mbps, which is definitely faster than what the 802.11b/g delivers (maximum transfer rates of 11Mbps and 54Mbps respectively), although the value is a far cry from the theoretical limit of the 802.11n standard, i.e. 200Mbps. The chip, however, will come with Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, which in our opinion is a fair tradeoff for the relatively modest speed gain. There is still no specific information on when we are to expect the first handsets equipped with the AR6133, but we do hope we get to see them on the market soon.

source: Atheros