Motorola opens its 2.5G and 3G platforms to OEMs

Motorola is set to make its first foray into the 2.5G and 3G semiconductor and software market.

Motorola is set to make its first foray into the 2.5G and 3G semiconductor and software market.

"Motorola's new wireless strategy is radical and rule-changing - with the potential to redefine success in an industry now being rocked by disruptions", said Christopher B Galvin, the company's chairman and chief executive officer.

"Next generation integrated wireless services will revolutionise the way in which people exchange and obtain information, making things smarter and life better.

Motorola is committed to making this a reality through our new wireless embedded strategy".

The company's Semiconductor Products Sector, the primary supplier of embedded solutions to Motorola's own cellular handset business, intends to take its portfolio of 2.5G and 3G platforms to global manufacturers of mobile communications products.

These powerful, type-approved platforms provide the industry's most integrated solutions - from silicon to software - to deliver a wide variety of voice, voice/data and/or multimedia applications and services.

Motorola's 2.5G and 3G platforms are total system solutions that bundle the chipset, software, development tools, reference design, test environments and type certification support with claimed best-in-class system cost.

The platforms are engineered to enable global OEMs to develop state-of-the-art products to enable anytime, anywhere communication for consumers.

Motorola's 2.5G voice/data and 3G multimedia wireless platforms are designed to meet a variety of customer needs by providing a comprehensive road map with distinct industry advantages for smaller, lighter, lower-cost wireless products.

These advantages include flexibility, offering low, mid and high-tier feature sets; scalability, offering migration paths from 2G and 2.5G to 3G protocols; and connectivity, with personal area network (eg Bluetooth technology), wide area network (cellular) and mobile commerce capabilities.

Motorola's 2.5G and 3G platforms build on its portfolio of wireless solutions: the fourth generation of multicore (MPU and DSP) technology; third-generation GPRS stack software and certified communication protocol software; best-in-class solutions in RF/IF through its advanced silicon germanium carbon (SiGe:C) process; power management and power amplifiers for mobile communication products; fully compliant Java T 2, Micro Edition (J2MET) technology; Metrowerks' industry leading toolchain, enabling independent software vendor (ISV) support for a wide array of applications for handsets, PDAs and consumer entertainment devices; SoC technologies to enable manufacturers to offer more innovative, feature-rich and cost-effective products with longer battery life to consumers.

Motorola offers a comprehensive 2.5G GSM/GPRS voice/data system solution with best-in-class system part count, enabling smaller form factors and lower overall system costs.

The comprehensive system solution enables the high-volume production of economical handsets and is an innovative foundation for other single-mode or multimode cellular solutions in the future.

Additional features such as Bluetooth wireless technology, GPS and MP3 functionality can be integrated rapidly to offer flexible solutions designed to meet the complex needs of cellular customers worldwide.

The first products based on the platform are projected to support voice-centric and voice/data GPRS applications with future capabilities for EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) data-centric applications.

The first 2.5G platform is expected to be available in the first half of 2002.

Motorola's 3G platform supports Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and is designed to give manufacturers the ability to deliver a wide range of voice services, mobile data and advanced multimedia solutions to consumers.

This includes mobile commerce, audio and video streaming, email, interactive gaming and wirelessly linked peripherals enabled by Bluetooth wireless technology.

These applications enable a variety of wireless devices, such as advanced information appliances, smart phones, web browsers/tables, digital MP3 audio players and handheld computers.

This scalable 3G platform is designed to meet customers' broad sets of needs with its radio function, supporting the "always on" wireless capability, and its applications function, which processes data for the user.

Motorola already has achieved first silicon in a 3G radio development platform with first alpha customer commercial products targeted for global manufacturers in 2003.

Back to top