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Bluetooth giant finally unveils WiFi plans as Cambridge Silicon Radio demos VoIP

What was called "co-existence" when WiFi and Bluetooth first started clashing, was demonstrated today by the leading Bluetooth silicon provider, Cambridge Silicon Radio, with its first "Unifi" WiFi radios plugged into the same machines as its Bluetooth ones.

The fact that CSR has been planning to move into WiFi hasn't been a secret, but the company has long insisted that it wouldn't do it until it was ready - and high on the list of things to get right, was making sure that both radios, using 2.4 GHz spectrum, would indeed co-exist without interfering.

The demo was done using Skype voice over IP technology, from a Pocket PC phone (an O2 XDA II) to a notebook computer; the notebook has both Bluetooth (for a headset) and WiFi chips in it.

CSR says it has optimised Unifi for co-existence not only with Bluetooth but also with GSM.

Two products: an SDIO format card (for the XDA) and a PC Card (PCMCIA format) for the PC are on show in Olympia today at the WLAN Event.

Full details of the product were announced  and are also on the CSR web site.