Analog Devices has announced the availability of its Chinese 3G standard (TD-SCDMA). With the addition of the SoftFone-LCR+ chipset to its 3G product portfolio, TD-SCDMA handset manufacturers have the option to choose between a single platform for either voice-centric or multimedia capable handsets.
The chipset also supports full "boot from NAND" capability, so that cost-effective NOR-less designs for feature phones are possible. The chipset enables dual-mode TD-SCDMA/GPRS operation and achieves full 384 kbps 3G performance.
"Today's announcement of our second-generation SoftFone-LCR chipset strengthens our technology offering and clearly demonstrates Analog Devices' commitment to accelerating the development of TD-SCDMA technology," said Christian Kermarrec, vice president, RF and wireless systems, Analog Devices, Inc. "As China migrates to 3G networks, our expanded technology offering is well positioned to address the wide-ranging needs of carriers and handset manufacturers - some of whom will choose to transition existing customers, focusing on voice-centric features, while others will immediately target the high-end of the market with advanced audio and video capabilities. The performance and functionality of the SoftFone-LCR+ chipset ensures that users will be able to have a multimedia-rich 3G experience on the new networks"
According to Michael Thelander, CEO of Signals Research Group, LLC, "Analog Devices' expanded portfolio of TD-SCDMA silicon solutions is a positive indicator for both the company and for the continued development of TD-SCDMA as a wireless standard that can support a wide range of applications and end users. As TD-SCDMA trials move into the next phase toward full commercialization, this announcement is another indicator that ADI is well-positioned to benefit from the ramp of the burgeoning 3G standard."
The TD-SCDMA (Time-Division - Synchronous Code-Division Multiple Access) standard was proposed by the China Wireless Telecommunication Standards group (CWTS) and approved by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) as the low-chip-rate TDD standard of the 3G standard family. Designed for 1.6 MHz channels, it is compatible with 5 MHz unpaired 3G bands in any region of the world. TD-SCDMA can serve as a complement to W-CDMA deployments since it uses the same network backbone.
Trial TD-SCDMA networks and 3G services are now established in various cities in China and based on recent reports, the TD-SCDMA network will grow within five years to over 40 million subscribers. Analog Devices has been working closely with Datang Mobile as the software provider for the SoftFone-LCR chipsets. In addition, the dual-mode TD-SCDMA software is provided by Datang Mobile and includes GPRS protocol stack software from Sasken Communication Technologies Ltd."
Posted to the site on 1st December 2006
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/20708.php