Broadcom today announced that the software that controls its Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM combination solution is a standard component of the latest Android operating system. Open access to portions of Broadcom’s combo drivers provides Android developers with a head-start in designing mobile devices and applications that utilize the best in wireless connectivity solutions.

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM technologies are becoming increasingly common in today’s mobile phones, enabling a variety of popular media and data applications. The current generation of Android-based handsets features both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but uses discrete components.

“Two of the most exciting trends in the handset industry are the growing popularity of Android and the transition to combo chips for connectivity,” said Chris Bergey, Director of Broadcom’s Embedded WLAN line of business. “As a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance, we are committed to advancing the Android platform by contributing our software and facilitating greater access to our combination chips in the open source community. We expect a plethora of products and applications to evolve from the connected Android platform in the not-so-distant future.”