Europe
: ARM announced that Chongqing Chongyou Information Technology Co.,
Ltd (CYIT), a major developer of 3G mobile handsets and chips in China,
has licensed the ARM926EJ(TM) processor. Through the ARM(R) Foundry
Program, CYIT will adopt the processor to develop chips designed specifically
for the domestic 3G standard, TD-SCDMA, which is quickly gaining momentum
in China.
CYIT was the first
in the world company to demonstrate a TD-SCDMA-based mobile phone
prototype, in June 2003. By licensing the ARM9E(TM) family processor,
CYIT anticipates developing its commercial TD-SCDMA mobile phone chipset
by Q3 2005. The processor will provide the high performance, small
size and low-power consumption features demanded by a 3G environment.
CYIT will also utilize the ARM926EJ processor's DSP extensions to
enhance overall performance and support for ARM(R) Jazelle(R) technology
-- a Java acceleration technology that provides an efficient way to
integrate and migrate Java applications on mobile devices quickly,
easily and at a low cost. Such applications will play a key role in
providing multimedia-rich services to China's mobile users.
"CYIT is
committed to progressing China's 3G mobile industry. Working with
ARM brings us a good opportunity to enhance our core competitive advantages
by leveraging ARM's processor strengths. The high performance provided
by the ARM926EJ processor now forms a key part of our future product
roadmap," said Neng Nie, director, CYIT. "We also believe
the comprehensive support ARM has from across the entire industry
will enable us to reduce our development time-to-market."
"The ARM
architecture is at the heart of the wireless market, connecting people
and providing access to information and entertainment. ARM has long
been recognized as the ideal choice for mobile handset chips in both
the GSM and CDMA markets," said Jun Tan, president, ARM China.
"Previously, a slow development of TD-SCDMA-based products threatened
to create a bottleneck in China's uptake of 3G, when the standard
is expected to become commercialized mid-2005. We welcome CYIT's initiative
to develop chips designed specifically for the domestic 3G standard,
TD-SCDMA which removes this barrier."
This new licensing
announcement comes at a time when the Chinese mobile industry is preparing
itself for the commercialization of the TD-SCDMA standard, expected
to be launched mid-year, 2005. TD-SCDMA was one of three CDMA-based
3G standards authorized by the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU), along with CDMA2000 and WCDMA. The 3rd Generation Partnership
Project (3GPP) also adopted TD-SCDMA as a commercial standard for
operators and mobile manufacturers in March 2001. Of the available
3G standards, TD- SCDMA is the only one to have developed out of China
and has received the strongest recognition from the Chinese government.
This standard is receiving comprehensive support from many leading
global and Chinese mobile device manufacturers and participants in
the 3G value-chain.