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Researchers for the chipmaker have developed a prototype all-CMOS dual-band radio chip supporting all flavors of Wi-Fi.

Announced in Kyoto, Japan, Friday, the transceiver would support 802.11a, b, and g, as well as the future 802.11n standard. That future extension would double the wireless transfer speed of the implementation discussed today.

"This system-in-a-package design uses more low-voltage circuitry than we've ever used in the past, which means we can integrate it and make it lower cost while operating at lower voltages and providing longer battery life," noted Krishnamurthy Soumyanath, director of Intel's Communications Circuits Research Lab.

"The variable bandwidth of this solution extends capabilities beyond today's 20 MHz to 100 MHz, and is expected to support data rates higher than 100 megabits per second that should allow people to enjoy multiple high-quality video streams concurrently."

Intel's goal in development of the new chip would be to allow for a device to only need one chip to connect to the various wireless networking access points that may be encountered by a user.

Intel notes that by keeping the architecture tied to Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor technology (CMOS), it can produce the new chip at low cost and in substantial volume.

Those are two factors that would be key to mass acceptance by the various OEMs who use Intel chips. Another bonus will be the chip's low power consumption of 1.4 volts.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.