Philips
Electronics and Bird -- the largest producer of cellular phones in China
-- today announced the start of a long-term partnership focused on the
advancement of GSM handset designs. The first development project based
on the companies' joint efforts will result in the creation of a leading-edge
clamshell phone targeted to the Chinese market.
Bird's
new GSM mobile handset will be based on Philips' proven semiconductor
system solution. Engineers from Bird will work in close cooperation
with a local Philips team in China to adapt the semiconductor company's
established technology into the design. Bird and Philips have successfully
partnered in the past and are currently working on a CDMA system solution
together with Holley Communication.
"The
design flexibility enabled by Philips' system solution made Philips
the best partner for Bird in its drive for new GSM phone designs,"
said Mr. Xu, Vice GM of Bird Co. Ltd. "We look forward to working
with Philips on this design project and anticipate that a large number
of these state-of-the art phones will be in wide use by 2003. This is
a long-term collaboration that will increase Bird's design capabilities
and bring innovative, technologically advanced cellular handset designs
to market."
"Our
mature semiconductor system solution offers full RF, baseband and antenna
functionality in a single easy to design-in system," said Adrian
Chu, Director, AP Communications Market Segment at Philips Semiconductors.
"The solution offers handset designers and OEMs fast time to market
when developing mobile phones. We are delighted to be working with Bird
on a clamshell design based on our GSM system solution."
Exact specifications of the new phone are currently being set by the project's design and engineering team. Bird, which is located in NingBo, is one of the top electronic enterprises in China. Founded in 1992, it is primarily focused on the development and manufacture of communication products but is a diverse operation that also makes pagers, handheld PC, equipment systems and mobile phone accessories. Bird anticipates the shipment of approximately 5 million mobile phones during 2002.
