TD-SCDMA CHIPSET LEADER, ANALOG DEVICES, WILL PUBLICLY DEMONSTRATE DUAL-BAND W-CDMA/EDGE CHIPSET AT 3GSM WORLD CONGRESS
Analog Devices’ SoftFone-W provides a competitive solution to a market currently served by only a few suppliers.
Norwood, MA (02/07/2006) -
Analog Devices, Inc. (NYSE: ADI), a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal processing applications, will demonstrate its first W-CDMA/EDGE (WEDGE) chipset at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 13-16, 2006 in Hall 1, Stand D43. Based on the company’s Blackfin® Processor and advanced analog, mixed-signal, and RF technologies that are also used in the chipset that recently completed operator trials in China for the TD-SCDMA 3G standard, the highly-integrated SoftFone®-W chipset builds upon ADI’s legacy as a leading technology supplier to the cellular handset industry.
“This is a major milestone for the 3G handset market,” said Christian Kermarrec, vice president, RF and wireless systems, Analog Devices, Inc. “Until now, handset manufacturers had an extremely limited choice of W-CDMA chipset suppliers or had to develop custom chips on their own. As a result, the selection of 3G handsets to date has been limited. Our chipset opens up the market significantly, enabling manufacturers to quickly develop 3G handsets for the mainstream featurephone segment.”
Third-generation (3G) cellular handsets represent one of the fastest growing segments of the 800-million unit cellular handset market, with over 40 million 3G handsets shipped in 2005, and estimates of 100 million units for 2006 as the technology becomes more widely adopted and deployed. These new handsets offer high-speed data capabilities, which enable expanded multimedia features, such as streaming video, music downloads, and Web browsing.
The SoftFone-W chipset comprises the AD6902 (Monza) digital baseband processor, AD6856 Stratos-W analog baseband/audio/power-management IC, and the AD6541/AD6547 Othello-W radio. The chipset supports the features generally included in mid- to high-end featurephones, such as MPEG4 and H.263 video encoding/decoding at QVGA screen resolution; 3-megapixel camera interface; 128-voice MIDI ringtones; and high-quality music playback using MP3, AAC+, or WMA algorithms, all without requiring an external co-processor. The AD6902 also includes programmable serial ports and a flexible audio subsystem, allowing handset designers to easily support additional features such as FM radio, mobile TV, VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi) and other applications.
The W-CDMA 3G standard is used in Japan, Europe, and North America, and is under consideration in China, where the TD-SCDMA standard was recently approved as a national standard for third-generation wireless service. The SoftFone-W chipset supports 3GPP Release 99, with 384 kb/s uplink and downlink speeds, and fallback to EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) in areas where 3G service is not available. EDGE operation is critical to 3G operators, since data-oriented applications such as multimedia and Web browsing can continue to run acceptably at EDGE speeds. Analog Devices has been shipping EDGE chipsets based on the same underlying technology used in the SoftFone-W chipset for over two years.
Protocol stack and applications software for the SoftFone-W chipset is supplied by TTPCom of Cambridge, England.
Analog Devices expects to sample the SoftFone-W chipset to customers in the second quarter of 2006.
About Analog Devices in Wireless Handsets
As a leading supplier of components to the wireless handset industry since 1990, Analog Devices has built a portfolio of solutions for mobile devices that leverages high-performance analog and DSP core technology. As customer needs have evolved, ADI’s wireless terminal product portfolio has advanced from DSP and analog building-block components to highly integrated chipsets and turnkey reference designs. Included in the company’s vast array of technologies for wireless terminals are sophisticated digital baseband processors, advanced analog and mixed-signal data conversion, power management, lens drivers, analog interface ICs, radio frequency ICs, RF power detectors and iMEMS®-based motion sensors. These products include a number of industry firsts, such as the Othello family—the world’s first open-market direct-conversion radio chipset; and Analog Devices’ SoftFone platform, the first RAM-based digital baseband processor, which enables wireless terminal device manufacturers to easily customize user features and options entirely in software, while incorporating breakthrough advancements in power consumption, cost, and size. Analog Devices’ wireless chipsets leverage the company’s high-performance signal processing expertise and are designed with a unique systems understanding approach.
About Analog Devices
Innovation, performance, and excellence are the cultural pillars on which Analog Devices has built one of the longest standing, highest growth companies within the technology sector. Acknowledged industry-wide as the world leader in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, Analog Devices serves over 60,000 customers, representing virtually all types of electronic equipment. Celebrating 40 years as a leading global manufacturer of high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications, Analog Devices is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, with design and manufacturing facilities throughout the world. Analog Devices' common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “ADI” and is included in the S&P 500 Index.
Editor's Contact Information:
Colleen Cronin
(781) 937-1622
Colleen.cronin@analog.com
