Intel may have the inside track on 3G WCDMA phone set for an NEC-Matsushita joint venture for DoCoMo.
" For example, using the architecture, mobile handset designers can use the Intel "Xscale" CPU, designed to be embedded into the appliances, provided that Intel uses the interface specifications defined by the three companies. "
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NEC, Matsushita Announce Architecture for 3G; Sales in Sight
March 5, 2002 (TOKYO) -- NEC Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. and Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd. announced results of the joint development of third-generation (3G) mobile handsets since they launched their development in August 2001.
The three firms have teamed up since then in developing 3G mobile handsets.
The first result of their joint development is that they have settled on a core architecture composed of two CPUs. Based on the two-CPU architecture concept -- "Communication CPU (C-CPU)" for W-CDMA communication control and "Application CPU (A-CPU)" for application control -- they also decided on the interface between the two CPUs.
So far, almost all the mobile handsets have been designed based on the concept of processing all functions through one CPU. The two-CPU architecture makes it possible to handle software processes that are ever increasing by the two processor blocks.
According to the three firms, the two-CPU architecture will enable both communication, which is required for high reliability, and application, which is required for originality and added-value, to be independent functions, for a combination without restrictions. Besides the above merit, as the design of these two functions can be done independently, the period of time for development can also be shortened.
This architecture is hardware- and OS-independent. For example, using the architecture, mobile handset designers can use the Intel "Xscale" CPU, designed to be embedded into the appliances, provided that Intel uses the interface specifications defined by the three companies. According to the three firms, in regard to the OS, the mobile handset manufacturers can freely select any OS on the market, in addition to the OS offered by the three firms.
Licensing the Architecture Aims to Expand 3G Mobile Market
The three firms already have been undertaking the development of their mobile handsets based on the architecture. The jointly developed 3G mobile handsets will be marketed in the later part of fiscal 2002 by each of these three firms.
These handsets are expected for NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s 3G mobile system. And following their handset marketing, they plan to launch selling the "core" components and technologies to outsiders.
The products for sales are all of the constituent components including related software based on the architecture. In regard to the communication function based components, a Matsushita official said, "we are willing to sell everything."
As concerns licensing, the three have a concerted view to and proposed selling the communication-feature system, because handset manufacturers can then shift their focus on the application system, which to end-users shows differentiation.
Mobile handset manufacturers can design their original handsets through purchasing the licenses for the desired components and technologies from the three firms. As concerns the interface specification itself, which defines the two-CPU connection, it can be opened to mobile handset manufacturers and semiconductor manufacturers free of charge after making a confidential agreement with the joint group. As of yet, the license fee for the commercialization of a handset has not been decided.
The expectation of their launch on the sales of the core components and technologies is to call for demand for 3G mobile handsets. So far, only Mitsubishi Electric Corp., along with NEC and Matsushita Communication, has commercialized the 3G mobile handsets. The sales will encourage other manufacturers to enter into the 3G handset business. And as a result, it is expected that the mobile handset market will be rich with a wider line-up of 3G handsets, and more demand for them will be stimulated, the three companies said.
Moreover, the three firms expect killer applications to be created, if mobile handset manufacturers concentrate on the application development activities by means of applying the three firms' communication-based components.
The application of the two-CPU architecture is not necessarily restricted to the 3G mobile handset. "For some incoming years ahead, the world's mainstream will be 2.5G handsets," Matsushita said, so they are eying the 2.5G handsets in compliance with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and others.
But the companies said it would be difficult to apply the two-CPU architecture to the CDMA2000 system, because Qualcomm Inc. holds almost all the chipset technologies, including software.
The three firms also announced their plan to establish a joint development center in Yokohama. They plan to construct the center with the same number of members from NEC and Matsushita Group. At first, they will start activities with 50 members, and plan to have around 100 members during the first half of fiscal 2002.
Related story: NEC, Matsushita Tie-Up Seeks to Cut IMT-2000 Development Costs
(Tomohiro Otsuki, Staff Editor, Nikkei Electronics) |
