NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.-Rockwell Semiconductor Systems Inc. introduced a complete antenna-to-microphone system solution for 900 MHz Global System for Mobile communications, the first GSM products in its wireless telephony portfolio.
Rockwell plans to offer solutions to support GSM at 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz as well by the second half of the year.
“Expansion into GSM is a logical next step,” said Vijay Parikh, vice president and general manager for Rockwell’s Wireless Communications Division. “GSM has been widely adopted in Europe, and is well on its way to becoming the dominant cellular technology worldwide.”
According to the GSM MoU (memorandum of understanding) Group, GSM networks account for more than 70 million subscribers, or 31 percent of the global wireless market, said Rockwell. The organization projects 200 million GSM subscribers worldwide by 2000.
Rockwell’s initial product offering provides a total solution for 900 MHz handsets, including all hardware, software and documentation necessary for original equipment manufacturers to make and maintain GSM handsets, said the company.
Samples of Rockwell’s GSM chipset are available now, with volume production expected to begin in July. Pricing starts at $48 in quantities of 10,000 for the seven-device set, which includes the baseband and radio-frequency subsystems.
The company’s GSM system solution supports full-rate modes, with optional support for enhanced full-rate, which provides voice-coding quality near that of wireline service, said Rockwell.
“Our manufacturing and customer-support infrastructure, coupled with our expertise in wireless communications, provides a powerful combination for OEMs with established end-user channels to quickly ramp into high-volume production with a variety of feature-rich handsets,” said Parikh.
