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E-GOLDvoice sets industry standard for ULC handsets

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CIOL Bureau
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MUNICH: Germany based Infineon Technologies AG, a provider of integrated telecom system ICs, microcontrollers, memory and high-frequency components, discrete semiconductors, power ICs, etc. has announced the release of E-GOLDvoice chip, for Ultra Low-Cost Handsets.

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The chip can reduce the number of electronic components in a basic mobile phone from about 100 to fewer than 50. In addition to providing the user the basic ability to make telephone calls and send and receive SMS (Short Message Service) messages, it also supports playback of polyphonic ringtones.

The E-GOLDvoice single-chip solution combines a baseband processor, radio frequency transceiver, power management unit and RAM in a footprint measuring just 8 mm x 8 mm, achieving a new record level of silicon integration for mobile communications. Until now, these components were several separate chips that occupied roughly double the area of the E-GOLDvoice chip.

The E-GOLDvoice chip is the heart of Infineon's second platform generation for ultra low-cost handsets, ULC2. This platform can lower the bill-of-material costs for an ultra low-cost mobile phone by approximately 20 percent, from about US $20 using a currently available Infineon platform to below US $16. Included in these costs are the complete telephone with all its electronic components, printed circuit board, connectors, casing with keypad and display, all software components, rechargeable batteries, charger, packaging, and operating manual.

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This GSM chip can shrink the space required for the electronics in a mobile handset to just four square centimeters. This extends Infineon's lead in shrinking the chip size and component requirements for GSM phones. The company introduced a first-generation platform in 2005 that fits into a mere nine square centimeters and is due to appear in ultra low-cost handsets in the middle of 2006.

According to the US-based market research company, Strategy Analytics, the growth in cellular industry to about 3.5 billion subscribers by the year 2010, will drive a huge demand for inexpensive, easy-to-use handsets with SMS functionality, polyphonic ringtones, etc. More than 150 million ultra-low-cost handsets costing less than US $40 are expected to be sold worldwide in 2010.

The E-GOLDvoice chip in a 189-pin leadfree package is expected to be available in mid-2006.

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