TI builds WLAN VoIP solution using OMAP architecture

WAYNE, N.J. - Texas Instruments is tapping it OMAP processor architecture, which lies at the heart of many mobile phone designs, to craft a processing chip that will allow designers to support voice-over-IP (VoIP) connections over wireless LAN (WLAN) links.

The TNETV1600 WLAN VoIP processor is developed around TI's OMAP16xx processor architecture, which blends together a TMS320C55x digital signal processor (DSP) core with an ARM926 processor core. To optimize the OMAP architecture for WLAN VoIP designs, TI has ported its Telogy software package to the TNETV1600 processor. Additionally, the company has developed a custom set of interface to optimize the OAP processor for VoIP WLAN designs, said Stephen Pannier, senior product manager at TI.

On the interface front, the TNETV1600 comes equipped with an LCD controller, two general-purpose I/Os, and an interface to an audio codec. Additionally, the chip offers two external memory interfaces for linking up with SDRAM and NOR flash.

To optimize the VoIP processor for WLAN designs, TI had to split 802.11 processing tasks between the embedded ARM processor on the TNETV1600 and the ARM processor housed on the TNETW1230 802.11g IC. Specifically, the ARM processor on the TNETV1600 handles the OS hardware abstraction layers and core driver services and sports an authentication supplicant, a configuration manager, and a configuration user interface. The ARM on the TNETW1230, on the other hand, initializes the baseband and radio, handles media access control (MAC) level control, and manages quality-of-service (QoS) capabilities.

To provide a complete reference design to customers, TI is packaging the TNETV1600 and TNETW1230 devices with a dual-channel codec and power management IC. The company is also delivering session initiation protocol (SIP) support, Linux support, a microwindows graphical library, and the Telogy VoIP software.The TNETV1600 will be generally available by the end of 2004. The chip is housed in a 289-ball MicroStar BGA package.