MANHASSET, N.Y. — Wireless systems capable of supporting both IEEE 802.11b and .11a standards may roll earlier than many expected — probably as soon as the end of the second quarter, according to chip vendor Systemonic Technology and network-equipment maker Linksys Group Inc.

Systemonic will sample early in the second quarter a multiband, multiprotocol solution that combines its OnDSP platform with RF technology acquired from Raytheon Co. last November, the company said this week.

Linksys, now evaluating a range of vendors, expects to be up and running with a combination .11a/.11b wireless LAN device before the second half, said president and chief executive officer Victor Tsao.

The faster "a" devices hit 54 Mbits/second and run in the 5-GHz band while "b" products (11 Mbits/s) operate in the 2.4-GHz band. Devices in a third protocol, "g," still in development, can reach 54 Mbits/s at 2.4 GHz.

While a number of DSP vendors announced multiprotocol baseband solutions last year, Systemonic (San Jose, Calif.) was among the first to acquire the RF front end. That technology is not only necessary to realize a solution optimized around the critical areas of power, performance and integration but is seen by many as "the gating factor" to open the wireless market.

Other companies, such as DSP core vendor 3DSP Corp. (Irvine, Calif.), are still evaluating RF partners. 3DSP on Monday (Feb. 25) announced an IP-based 802.11a/b/g development platform based on its own UniPHY core. UniPHY is a fully synthesizable core optimized for physical-layer processing, said Kan Lu, chief technology officer at 3DSP.

"We're currently evaluating up to eight RF partners," said Eric Mack, marketing director at 3DSP. "However, we're looking for someone who can take our core and use it to provide complete multiband, multiprotocol WLAN modules." He contrasted "the 350- to 400-k gates needed for a solution based on UniPHY to the 600-k gates needed for an ASIC solution."

Separately, RF Solutions Inc. and Ellipsis Digital Systems Inc. said Tuesday (Feb. 26) that they would jointly develop a multiprotocol WLAN chip set.

With the rising supply of combo offerings, Linksys' Tsao said he is confident his company can meet its second-quarter expectations. He also said the Linksys would incorporate the 802.11g standard once it's ratified by the IEEE. "A combination a+g device . . . may be the best solution," he said.

Tsao said Linksys is continuing to develop HomePlug networking products, announcing the first FCC/UL-qualified devices brought to market based on Intellon Corp.'s chips. But Tsao, pointing to a current bill of materials of about $50 to $60, said pricing is still an issue for Intellon. "They'll have to reduce their pricing quickly," he said, or the convenience and cost advantages of wireless will offset the higher data rates of the company's HomePlug devices.