Samsung, Atheros enter co-development agreement

Electronic products vendor Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. and Atheros Communications, a provider of silicon solutions for IEEE 802.11a and dual-band 802.11a/g/b WLANs, have collaborated to jointly develop advanced WLAN solutions.

Samsung will combine its systems knowledge with Atheros' silicon and software technology to develop WLAN products that support the 5GHz 802.11a and 2.4GHz 802.11b standards, as well as the 2.4GHz 802.11g draft standard. By merging key expertise at system and silicon levels, the companies aim to bring secure, high-bandwidth wireless networks to a broad range of users.

"By developing WLAN products based on the Atheros 802.11a/b/g solution, Samsung can further strengthen its WLAN business," said Bong-Rak Choi, VP and General Manager of Samsung Electro-Mechanics. "Our initial business focus is on major overseas markets such as the U.S. and Japan, where the 5GHz market is growing rapidly. With 5GHz spectrum rules pending in Korea, Samsung expects to provide products based on this dual-band technology to customers in Korea soon."