Also on Thursday, Marvell introduced the Avastar 88W8797, another 11n dual-band chip with 2x2 MIMO capability. The chip is capable of data rates as high as 300M bps, according to Marvell, and includes Bluetooth capability. It is designed for smartphones and tablets as well as sensor devices for health monitoring and home automation. It is available now in sample quantities.

In especially crowded locations, 2x2 MIMO will help mobile operators absorb the ongoing explosion in mobile data use more economically, said Farpoint Group analyst Craig Mathias. The two-stream technology has twice the capacity of one-stream Wi-Fi, so carriers can do a better job of reaching subscribers with the same number of installations.

Despite the many variables involved in wireless performance, including distance and competition from other nearby subscribers, the added stream will make a difference, Mathias said. The added capacity won't ensure faster downloads every time, but it makes it more likely that many users in the same area will be able to use network-hungry services such as video.

"They're never going to guarantee throughput, but they have to provide capacity," Mathias said.

The IDG News Service