Texas Instruments Inc (TXN)

[Eric]

TI on 3G

>> New Drivers for 3G Growth

Gilles Delfassy
Senior VP
Wireless Terminals Business Unit
Texas Instruments

http://tinyurl.com/5bef6

It would be easy to manage industry changes if it were only a matter of numbering each successive generation of technology. We've done that and it has helped us compartmentalize the changes in wireless technology. But what lies ahead are uncharted waters that can't be navigated by simply assigning numbers.

Indeed, we face a new generation of consumers with new preferences, motivations and, generally, a new way of thinking about their handheld devices. The technology that supports the demands for this new generation is called 3G. And just like the generation of consumers it supports, what will drive the growth and deployment of 3G wireless technology is not what we usually think of as typical.

To achieve the full potential of 3G, many things must happen. It will require the support of, and intense collaboration among, handset makers, network operators, regulators and applications developers. It also will require underlying technology that supports robust, yet affordable, 3G handsets and infrastructure.

To be sure, the technology requirements for accelerating 3G adoption are diverse and increasingly complex. The demands include:

Systems expertise that covers hardware as well as software

• A smooth roadmap to successively more complex standards

• Deep knowledge of consumer electronics functionality

• The ability to integrate multiple features into handsets

• A broad array of service offerings and innovative handsets that appeal to different market segments

• Robust security that works in real time

And finally, and not to be underestimated...

• A healthy, non-proprietary ecosystem to foster innovative solutions and applications based on open industry standards.

Without a doubt, how we address the new requirements of 3G is proving to be a challenge. A seamless system environment capable of high-performance, concurrent modem and application processing is an imperative. Architectures based on multiprocessing cores are needed for the processing of multiple tasks simultaneously, a fact of life with multimedia entertainment applications. New connectivity options like Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, GPS, and live digital TV will supplement the mobile phone's connectivity to the cellular network, creating new challenges for the device's RF subsystem. And innovation will be needed to extend battery life while executing many processing-intense and bandwidth-hungry applications.

Recognizing this, TI is making 3G less of a challenge through innovations such as the OMAP-Vox wireless platform. Vox, as you may remember from high school, is the Latin word for "voice," and one of the definitions of voice is "the right, or opportunity, to express a choice."

OMAP-Vox offers a choice of products that merge both modem and applications functionality onto the existing OMAP architecture to allow manufacturers to easily scale across multiple market segments for 2.5G and 3G. With the OMAP-Vox platform, TI is adding its proven modem hardware and software technology, its wireless platform which powers roughly half of all mobile phones that are shipped worldwide, and its OMAP architecture, which has become the world's number one application processor for mobile devices. What a powerful combination! <<

To learn more now about how TI is Making 3G, visit: http://www.ti.com/3g

- Eric -