re: 3G Dual-CPU Software Achitcture from NEC & Matsushita
Among the firms that have already expressed support for the platform are chip makers Agere Systems, Texas Instruments, Asahi Kasei Microsystems and ROHM.
>> Japanese Tech Giants Unveil 3G Wireless Platform
Mar 1, 2002
Jay Wrolstad
Wireless.NewsFactor.com
Japanese electronics giants NEC (Nasdaq: NIPNY) and Matsushita (NYSE: MC) have unveiled a software platform for 3G (third-generation) mobile phones, and they expect to roll out the next-gen phones themselves in the coming year.
The 3G core architecture is a result of a joint venture established last August between the companies, both makers of Panasonic-brand products. The technology will be used in future NEC and Matsushita 3G handsets and may be licensed to other companies, the partners said.
Two CPUs Better Than One
To speed the development of the products, the companies have set up a 3G Mobile Collaboration Office in Yokohama, Japan. By September, it will be staffed by some 100 employees working on applications for 3G mobile handsets.
The core architecture features a dual-CPU (central processing unit) configuration for WCDMA. It separates a phone's communication function (C-CPU) and its wireless application function (A-CPU) into separate bandwidth blocks.
This represents a departure from the single-CPU layout of traditional mobile phones -- in which all functions are combined -- and enables the independent development of 3G software for communications and applications. Next-gen functionality includes high-speed Internet access, multimedia capability and data transmission.
New Phones Coming
"The two-CPU configuration will allow greater flexibility in adding new features to mobile phones," NEC spokesperson Kazuko Anderson told Wireless NewsFactor.
"There is a vast number of software applications that can be included in next-generation phones, and as more are introduced, this architecture will allow them to be easily incorporated."
Anderson said discussions are underway regarding 3G phones to be made by each company or the possibility of a jointly developed handset.
For now, both companies plan to deploy the core architecture in their 3G mobile handsets, which will be introduced in the latter half of the fiscal year ending March 2003. Also, the platform may be licensed to handset makers, software vendors and semiconductor firms.
Among the firms that have already expressed support for the platform are chip makers Agere Systems, Texas Instruments, Asahi Kasei Microsystems and ROHM.
Head Start With FOMA
NEC and Matsushita already have entered the 3G realm, providing phones for the FOMA (freedom of mobile multimedia access) network launched last year by Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo (news - web sites) (NYSE: NTT - news).
Those handsets include a US$500 top-of-the-line video mobile phone from Panasonic; a standard model from NEC with i-mode Internet access, priced at roughly $330; and a $250 handset from Matsushita that combines the capabilities of a data card and a phone.
NEC also announced this week that it is providing i-mode phones in Europe under a deal with carrier KPN Mobile Group, which is rolling out 2.5G service in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. <<
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