current consumption in rf transceiver soic

Hi all,
If in an IC datasheet TYP current consumption is mentioned as 16mA (TA=25°C, VCC=3 V), then what does it indicate?
does the IC consumes 16mA per second or 16mA per Hour?

thanx in advance.

I think it is 16ma/hour

The current is 16mA. If you want to find the battery capacity to power it, for example then you can consider time, but the result isn't current anymore e.g. 1Ahr. A battery might be quoted as 160mAhr in which case it could supply 16mA for 10 hours or 160mA for 1 hour.

Keith

based on SOIC functions, the current some times higher and some times lower. if you know the state diagram and current consumption per state and its probability, then do the averaging of the current. also called typical current.