TI tops IEEE 802.15.4 IC vendor ranking

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17 February 2010 News

Texas Instruments has been ranked at the top of the latest IEEE 802.15.4 IC Vendor Matrix released by ABI Research, Jennic and Freescale Semiconductor claimed the second and third spots in the company’s most recent evaluation of worldwide IEEE 802.15.4 IC vendors.

IEEE 802.15.4 2006 is a standard which specifies the physical layer and media access control for low-rate wireless personal area networks. It is the basis for the ZigBee, WirelessHART and MiWi specification, each of which further attempts to offer a complete networking solution by developing the upper layers which are not covered by the standard. Alternatively, it can be used with 6LoWPAN and standard Internet protocols to build a wireless embedded Internet.

“Texas Instruments received the top ranking in this edition of the Vendor Matrix through solid performance in both the innovation and implementation categories,” says practice director Sam Lucero. “Although Jennic was second overall, it was first in the innovation category. Likewise, Freescale achieved the top spot in the implementation category.”

The Vendor Matrix is an analytical tool developed by ABI Research to provide a clear understanding of vendors’ positions in specific markets. Vendors are assessed on the important parameters of innovation and implementation across several criteria unique to each vendor matrix. For this particular matrix, under ‘innovation,’ ABI first examined the various vendors’ product feature sets including device power consumption, Rx sensitivity, memory sizes offered (if any), and MCUs offered (if any). Then form factor integration and variety were assessed. Finally, the evaluation considered the protocol stack availability of each.

Under ‘implementation,’ ABI scrutinised the following criteria: the vendors’ overall market position (including their perceived market share and position in the market relative to competitors, their size, financial strength, health and backing), and their longevity in the IEEE 802.15.4 IC market. Vertical market focus was assessed, including the number/breadth of vertical markets and applications served or targeted, and the level of the vendor’s specialisation. Finally, the research examined vendors’ levels of customer support, including training and events, documentation, tools and development platforms, and community forums.

For more information visit www.abiresearch.com

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TI tops IEEE 802.15.4 IC vendor ranking

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