Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC), the world's leading telecom supplier, and
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE:TXN), the global leader in
silicon solutions for wireless communications, today announce that the
companies will form a strategic technology engagement to develop custom
solutions for new Open OS enabled 3G devices.
Solutions from the technology created by the two companies will combine small
and power efficient 3G modems from Ericsson Mobile Platforms with high-performance
OMAP(TM) applications processors from TI. Solutions from the joint engagement
will include OMAP, custom basebands and connectivity technologies and will be
capable of supporting the major Open OS, which offer easy access to a rich array
of applications and services. The result of this joint effort will enable all device manufacturers to offer
advanced Open OS handsets for both the high-end and the rapidly growing mid-range
market.
The collaboration between Ericsson and TI will enable handset manufacturers to
deliver the exciting mobile entertainment and multimedia experiences that consumers
around the world are increasingly demanding. Ericsson's access technology leadership,
current HSPA-enabled platforms, and future HSPA evolution and LTE technologies,
combined with the cutting-edge multimedia performance enabled by TI's OMAP 2,
OMAP 3 and future generations of OMAP processors, will continue to push the performance
boundaries of mobile devices and mobile entertainment features.
By leveraging TI's OMAP platform with Open OS support for Windows® Mobile, Symbian
S60, Symbian UIQ and Linux®, these solutions will provide OEMs and operators with
a robust and flexible architecture for applications and services deployment, enabling
easier delivery and management of services and content. This enables handset manufacturers
and mobile operators to differentiate their products through rich, easy-to-use
and customizable user interfaces, and through a robust and flexible application
architecture.
The result of the joint effort will bring to market an evolving portfolio of
wireless technology platforms with Open OS support to reduce complexity, investment and time-to-market for device manufacturers. The solutions, which
seamlessly integrate the modem and applications processor, will be presented in
one pre-verified and tested platform reference design. This approach will drastically
reduce development and verification efforts previously undertaken by device manufacturers,
enabling customers to rapidly bring highly advanced yet competitively priced products
to market.
The joint solutions will also benefit from the Ericsson Mobile Platforms IOT
program, one of the industry's most extensive interoperability testing processes,
guaranteeing full compliance with operator requirements, speeding up time to market
and securing an easy roll-out of products.
Greg Delagi, senior vice president of TI's Wireless Terminals Business Unit,
says: "It's a tribute to the long-standing collaborative relationship between
EMP and TI that we can tap into and combine each company's unique wireless expertise
in order to deliver the most timely, targeted solutions to the market. TI's broad,
proven product portfolio and advanced manufacturing capabilities have continued
to adjust to the demanding requirements of EMP's customer base. We believe that
today's announcement will build on what TI can bring to EMP and what both companies
together can bring to this vital, dynamic industry."
Robert Puskaric, head of Ericsson's mobile platforms' unit, says: "Ericsson is
clear in its commitment to design and offer a portfolio of flexible, innovative
mobile platforms that address the requirements of the rapidly evolving mobile
device market. We are pleased to work closely with TI to combine the finest of
each company's core wireless know-how - EMP's access technology and platform size
leadership with TI's innovative OMAP application processors in order to provide
the most capable Open OS platforms on the market today."
Handsets based on these solutions are expected to be available on the market
in the second half of 2008.
Notes to editors:
Robert Puskaric's photo and resume: www.ericsson.com/solutions/mobile_platforms/info.shtml
Greg Delagi's photo and resume: www.ti.com/corp/docs/company/history/delagi.shtml
Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications
through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in
more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication
companies in the world.
Read more at http://www.ericsson.com
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