TOKYO-Intel Corp. and Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric Corp. announced they will co-develop a cellular chipset for the third-generation wireless technology market. The companies said work on the chipset has begun, and they will develop and market the new chipset and associated software as Japan deploys 3G wireless technology.
Japan’s leading mobile carrier, NTT DoCoMo, is expected to launch 3G services in May 2001.
Intel and Mitsubishi plan to expand their joint development effort to other geographic regions using the same platform architecture.
“Using Intel’s wireless solutions, Mitsubishi can develop a high-performance, low-power and highly integrated multimedia 3G cellular phone,” said Michio Nakanishi, group president of Mitsubishi’s Communication Systems Group. “Japan is our initial focus market, and we expect to use the same architecture platform for Europe and other regions in a timely manner.”
Mitsubishi said it plans to ship more than 25 million cellular phones worldwide in fiscal 2000. The company manufactures phones for DoCoMo’s popular iMode wireless Internet service and is developing wideband Code Division Multiple Access units for 3G services.
