Irvine chipmaker Broadcom Corp. has fully joined the Android camp and said today that its wireless technologies fully support Google’s mobile operating system.

What does that mean? Conceivably cheaper phones because Broadcom likes to cram several features into one chip. In this case, the company said its series of wireless chips that offer Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and VoIP, are now available for Android phones.

While most Android phones already have these features, manufacturers can now purchase one chip instead of three separate ones. That could decrease the cost of making the phone and/or free up space inside the phone since multiple chips are no longer needed.

On top of the full Android support, Broadcom points out that its chips offer the latest Bluetooth technology, previously unavailable for in Android phones. Broadcom offers Bluetooth 3.0 + HS, which means faster connections of up to 24 mbps. That will come in handy for those who like to share videos, photos or other files between phones or any other mobile devices. Broadcom’s new Android push isn’t just for phones but also tablets, which it will demonstrate next week during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Android manufacturers who add the Broadcom chips will be the first with faster Bluetooth.

Broadcom, of course, has long supported the iPhone and was among the first to provide chips for the revolutionary phone. But now, with analysts expecting Android to be the second most popular mobile software by 2013, Broadcom decided to expand its support.

The company isn’t new to Android. It previously demonstrated support for Android on personal navigation devices; Android chips that combine Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM radio; and support for an Android HD camcorder, video player and 12-megapixel camera.

Previously on Broadcom:

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