The first 802.11ac Wi-Fi chips to soon be made available

This was announced during the MWC show in Spain. The first 802.11ac Wi-Fi chips should soon be made available and integrated into devices.

We have heard about the next generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard for a while now, with the technology announcing data transfer speed of more than 1 Gbit/s.

If we are to believe the information coming from one of Broadcom’s managers at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the first chips compatible with this technology have already entered into pre-production phase. Their final versions should be delivered to clients in mid-2012.

As for the prices end users will pay, either in a notebook, tablet or smartphone, the cost won’t be excessive. The Wi-Fi AC chip will cost 20 to 50% more than a Wi-Fi N chip. A difference which will only be reduced over time.

We will now have to wait for the first devices to be released using this 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity – possibly by Apple if we believe certain rumours - and the publication of the first independent tests to be able to judge the real performance improvement.