Dot Wireless Inc. today introduced an advanced development platform for the North American Code Division Multiple Access standard to provide manufacturers with outsourcing services for a faster product design cycle.
The Interim Standard-95 development platform is designed to reduce time to market, simplify next-generation CDMA handset design and minimize research and development risk by providing manufacturers with a complete air-interface package, including software, development tools and reference designs, the San Diego-based company said.
“CDMA handset providers are scrambling to marshal the wide array of resources required to produce highly distinctive offerings for CDMA,” said Rick Kornfeld, president and chief executive officer of Dot Wireless.
The increasing complexity of technology and shorter design cycles along with high market demand for more advanced
CDMA products has resulted in a design gap that is creating opportunity for “knowledge systems” companies like Dot Wireless.
The start-up company aims to “fill the gap between what many manufacturers can develop internally and what they need to keep pace with the marketplace,” explained Kornfeld.
“Because of the design gap, many manufacturers need products to help them be successful in the marketplace. They need a reference design and protocol stack software, and in some cases, the ability to develop themselves.
“By providing the system design, protocol and application software, as well as an exhaustive suite of development tools, we enable our partners to rapidly develop highly integrated, low-cost and power-efficient systems for CDMA markets worldwide,”Kornfeld said.
The year-old company plans to focus its initial development on a baseband Application-Specific Integrated Circuit being developed under contract for San Jose, Calif.-based VLSI Technology Inc. Ownership of the design work will be retained by Dot Wireless, except for the physical design of the ASIC itself.
“We’re currently working with VLSI to develop an overall system solution for today’s IS-95,” Kornfeld told RCR. “We are looking toward a road map for our company toward enhancement of IS-95 and also toward third-generation cellular systems.
“Qualcomm is the only manufacturer to my knowledge supplying chips,” said Kornfeld.
Qualcomm has licensed some companies, including VLSI, to manufacture chipsets to sell to other handset manufacturers so that VLSI can compete with them in the merchant market.
“We’re working with VLSI within their license,” Kornfeld said.
Dot Wireless was founded in June 1997 by a core group of five people who all were part of NextWave Telecom Inc.’s Consumer Products Group, which was spun off from the parent company following the VLSI contract. More than half of Dot Wireless’ staff of 20 are former NextWave CPD employees.
Kornfeld, who was the senior vice president and general manager of NextWave CPD, also was one of the first employees of Qualcomm Inc., where he was instrumental in the Subscriber Equipment Group.
Other Dot Wireless co-founders and former NextWave employees include: John McDonough, vice president of engineering; Ana Weiland, also a vice president of engineering; Gary Jorgensen, director of software engineering; and Joe Thome, treasurer.
