Automotive Mobile Audio Video

Renesas Technology Corp. today announced it has started shipping evaluation samples of a single-chip LSI, jointly developed with NTT DoCoMo, Inc. for dual-mode mobile handsets supporting W-CDMA (3G) and GSM/GPRS (2G) systems. Evaluation samples have been available for customers since the end of July 2005.

With technological development investment from NTT DoCoMo since July 2004, the jointly developed LSI is expected to promote the global use of FOMA(R) and similar 3G mobile handsets. It also reduces costs by incorporating a dual baseband processor handling W-CDMA and GSM/GPRS systems together with a Renesas Technology SH-Mobile application processor. Combining the W-CDMA technology expertise of NTT DoCoMo with Renesas' advanced LSI fabrication, multimedia application processing, and GSM/GPRS technologies, both companies have developed the single-chip LSI that offers high performance together with low power consumption. Customers are now evaluating samples embedded to a reference board for their communication functions.

NTT DoCoMo's Managing Director of Customer Equipment Development Department, Mr. Koji Chiba, made the following statement on the development of the new LSI: "I am very pleased with the successful sample shipments of this dual-mode single-chip LSI supporting both W-CDMA and GSM/GPRS jointly developed with Renesas Technology. I believe that use of this single-chip LSI will lower the cost of FOMA handsets while improving such basic performance features as length of standby time, and will encourage the adoption of FOMA services on a global scale."

"Provision of the single-chip LSI for 3G mobile handsets such as FOMA phones helps further accelerate the proliferation of Renesas' highly integrated, market-ready mobile solution based on the SH-Mobile Series application processor in the 3G market," said Ikuya Kawasaki, Deputy General Manager of System Solution Business Unit 2 at Renesas Technology Corp. "In the coming years, we will continue to develop more advanced LSIs based on the technical experience gained through this project, and will further strengthen our position as a leading mobile phone LSI manufacturer and solution provider."

Renesas plans to begin mass production of the new LSI in the second quarter of 2006. A 3G mobile phone platform incorporating this LSI will also be offered to FOMA and GSM/GPRS handset manufacturers.