Nvidia LTE modem green-lighted by AT&T

network, CRN notes.

This is a milestone for the Santa Clara, California-based chip maker that could give way to Nvidia Icera-powered mobile devices as soon as this year.

The Icera 410, according to Nvidia, is now one of just a select few multimode LTE modems to have been approved for use on AT&T's 4G networks. To earn this distinction, modem chipsets have to pass through a set of 'rigorous' certification tests to ensure they integrate and perform seamlessly with a range of mobile devices.

The Icera 410 LTE architecture for tablets and notebooks has been tested and validated for AT&T, and that “paves the way for Nvidia Icera-powered LTE devices on the AT&T network through this year and next”, Rethink Wireless quotes Stan Boland, SVP of mobile communications at the company, as saying.

The 410 is the first Icera modem to implement LTE in Nvidia's software-defined baseband processor. It supports category 2 LTE (up to 50Mbps) as well as HSPA+, 2G and 3G.

Last fall, the company unveiled its first integrated offering. Most LTE gadgets currently still have to use a modem separate from the processors, which increases cost and power consumption, though Qualcomm and Renesas Mobile have integrated offerings.