February 27, 2013 – Broadcom, a global leader in wired and wireless semiconductors, today unveiled the BCM47521, the industry's first GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) chip featuring a unique architecture that enables geofencing capabilities while preserving battery life. Geofencing technology is a groundbreaking advancement in virtual radius recognition. The newly introduced BCM47521 contributes to innovation in always-on location-aware applications such as social networking, location-based mobile commerce, and local store advertising. Broadcom plans to showcase this product at MWC 2013, held in Barcelona, Spain, from the 25th to the 28th of this month.

Geographic interest areas (commonly referred to as 'geofences') are widely used in new and innovative location-aware applications. A geofence is a feature that sends a warning when a user enters or leaves a virtual radius. In existing architectures, implementing geofence functionality was difficult because the application processor had to run continuously, which led to rapid battery drainage. However, Broadcom’s newly released BCM47521 overcomes these problems and continuously monitors geofence areas with 60 times less battery consumption.

Scott Pomerantz, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom’s GPS Business Unit, stated, “The remarkable growth of mobile devices is driving new opportunities for innovative applications that provide critical location-aware information,” adding, “Broadcom is leading next-generation system power consumption innovation with the BCM47521’s low-power geofence mode, enabling OEMs to differentiate their mobile products and make always-connected location-aware applications a reality.”

Broadcom's BCM47521 chip collects data from four satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, and SBAS) and provides multi-constellation support by utilizing the best signal among the received ones. This enables faster navigation and accurate real-time navigation. Combined with advanced signal processing, Broadcom's multi-constellation technology provides rapid positioning capabilities for an improved user experience. This strength is particularly well utilized in urban environments where buildings and various obstacles can significantly impact accuracy and positioning time.

Key Features and Benefits

System power efficiency improved 60 times compared to host-based architecture
- Monitors geofences in the background in Advanced Host Offload mode and activates the application process only when a trigger event occurs.
- Smart algorithm that applies in real-time when the user approaches the geofence boundary

* Minimize installation space, power consumption, and costs
- The 40-nanometer BCM47521 offers the same board space, power consumption, and cost advantages as its predecessor, the BCM4752.

Based on the proven Broadcom BCM4752 GNSS architecture platform
- Industry-leading city navigation applying mobile device inertial sensor readings to location measurement
- Best-in-class AGNSS (Assisted GNSS) data support from Broadcom's global reference network
- Indoor positioning function utilizing Broadcom's device connectivity, such as Wi-Fi, low-power Bluetooth, NFC, and inertial sensor data from mobile devices

The BCM47521 is currently in production and is scheduled to be installed in mobile devices in the second quarter of 2013.