Broadcom and Samsung Electronics are collaborating on a new, broadband-optimized reference platform for the global fixed wireless access (FWA) market, integrating Broadcom’s Wi-Fi 8 System-on-Chip (SoC) with Samsung’s 5G modem.
The platform unifies 3GPP Release 17 connectivity — a major update to the global 5G standard — with the emerging Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn) standard. Development of Wi-Fi 8 is expected to be completed by 2028, with products appearing the following year.
While previous versions focused on speed, Wi-Fi 8 focuses on ultra-high reliability (UHR), lower latency, and better performance in crowded or interference-heavy environments. The standard is aimed at delivering roughly 25% better throughput in difficult conditions, 25% lower latency, and 25% fewer dropped packets compared with Wi-Fi 7.
The new platform is designed for mass-market scalability, provides a high-performance, cost-competitive blueprint that allows mobile operators to offer fiber-level broadband to accelerate service innovation and ecosystem growth.
There are multiple chips in this offering, starting with Broadcom’s new BCM68850, a 50G ITU ITU-PON home gateway SoC. It features an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) and offers native Wi-Fi 8 compatibility. The device is deployed at the intelligent edge and provides a range of NPU-accelerated solutions across cable, PON, Wi-Fi and set-top box platforms.
Then there is the BCM6772, a core foundation for Broadcom’s mass-market Ethernet routers, extenders, and repeaters. It features integrated 2×2 2.4-GHz and 2×2 5-GHz radios, a versatile memory controller (DDR4 & DDR5) and comes in a compact 15×15 mm FCBGA package.
The BCM6774 is optimized for high-volume ethernet routers and extenders. It includes integrated 2×2 2.4-GHz and 4×4 5-GHz radios, versatile memory controller (DDR4 & DDR5) and offers a compact 15×15 mm FCBGA package.
The BCM6776 is aimed at premium Ethernet tri-band routers and extenders (when paired with BCM6718). It features integrated 2×2 2.4-GHz & 4×4 5-GHz radios, offers dual PCIe Gen3 controllers, versatile memory controller (DDR4, DDR5, LPDDR4, and LPDDR5) and is housed in a compact 19×19 mm FCBGA package.
The three new SoCs share other innovations to maximize performance and minimize complexity as well. Each chip includes a high-performance quad-core CPU complex and a dedicated Network Processing Engine, offloading intensive networking tasks for smooth operation in the most demanding home environments.
They also feature on-chip 2.4 GHz power amplifiers (iPAs) and 3rd generation digital pre-distortion (DPD) technology, which significantly reduces the total bill of materials (BOM) and enables lower power consumption in the 5 GHz band.
