MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - October 26, 2010) - Providing an in-depth review of processors for today's cellular handset landscape, The Linley Group announced availability of its latest report, "A Guide to 3G/4G Wireless Chips." The new report details the technologies, architectures, multimedia standards and vendors that will shape the cellular market this year and beyond. The report also provides definitive 2009 market share and preliminary market share for 2010, enabling engineering, marketing and financial executives to identify the technologies and vendors that will impact handset designs.
"Despite the weak economy, baseband chip shipments were up one percent last year and are poised to climb 16 percent this year -- a truly bright spot in the IC market," said Linley Gwennap, principal analyst at The Linley Group. "But along with this growth comes significant change in suppliers and vendors, fueled by acquisitions such as Infineon's wireless business by Intel and Renesas' acquisition of Nokia's baseband technology. We also see changes in standards as 3G is being deployed in China and India and 4G starts to emerge worldwide. This guide explains how to navigate the turmoil and make informed, educated decisions for next-generation mobile designs."
"A Guide to 3G/4G Wireless Chips" focuses on UMTS (including TD-SCDMA) and LTE baseband processors. Designed for use in wireless handsets (cell phones), these chips are also increasingly appearing in smartphones, laptop computers, tablet computers, e-book readers, and navigation devices. Covered products include:
- Qualcomm's UMTS and LTE processors in the MSM, MDM, and QSC families
- ST-Ericsson's converged product lineup, including the low-cost PNX processors and the U5500 and U8500 for smartphones
- MediaTek's UMTS and TD-SCDMA chips
- Infineon's X-Gold product line
- Marvell's new Pantheon series
- Broadcom's Cellairity platform
- UMTS and LTE baseband processors from smaller suppliers such as Altair, Beceem, Icera, Renesas, Sequans, Spreadtrum, and Wavesat
Among the trends covered in the report is the move by WiMax chip vendors to convert their designs to target the larger LTE market. The report notes that these companies will find it difficult to compete with giants such as Qualcomm and ST-Ericsson that are already delivering LTE processors. Also discussed is Marvell's announcement of a TD-SCDMA processor, and the likelihood of Qualcomm following suit; these moves threaten MediaTek and ST-Ericsson in the growing China Mobile market.
Availability
"A Guide to 3G/4G Wireless Chips" is currently available directly from The Linley Group. For further details, including pricing and a list of included tables, visit the web site at http://linleygroup.com/Reports/handset_processor_guide.html.
About The Linley Group
The Linley Group is the industry's leading source for independent technology analysis of semiconductors for networking, communications, mobile, and wireless. The company provides strategic consulting services, in-depth analytical reports, and Linley Tech events focused on advanced technology topics. The Linley Group is also the publisher of Microprocessor Report, the leading technical publication for unbiased analysis of high-performance processor technology. For insights on recent industry news, subscribe to the company's free email newsletters: "Linley Wire," "Linley on Mobile," and "Processor Watch."
Note to editors: To speak to an analyst from The Linley Group about this report, please contact: Erika Powelson, Orr & Company, 831.424.1811 or email erika@orr-co.com.
Contact Information:
For additional information, please contact:
Candace Doyle
The Linley Group
408-370-7631
candaced@linleygroup.com
Erika Powelson
Orr & Company
831-424-1811
erika@orr-co.com