It is estimated that 80% of the world’s population now has wireless coverage, but that only about 20% can afford to subscribe to a wireless service due largely to the cost of mobile phones, according to the GSM Association. At a press event in New Delhi, Tom Engibous, Chairman of Texas Instruments, said his company will deliver a single-chip cell phone solution for ultra-low-cost handsets in emerging markets, such as India.
In India alone, roughly 11% of its total population has telecom connectivity with a mobile subscriber base of 58 million (source: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, June 05).
“The mobile phone is already indispensable in established markets, and wireless will become even more useful in countries where today the availability of wired communication is limited,” said Engibous in his remarks to the press.
TI announced last December that it had delivered the industry’s first single-chip solution for mobile phones. Developed through TI’s 90nm CMOS manufacturing technology, the single-chip solution is now sampling.
The device initially targets GSM/GPRS handsets, but TI said it will offer single-chip cell phone solutions for additional air interfaces.
Also at the press event, Engibous announced the first cell phones built entirely in India, from concept to design to production.
http://www.ti.com/wirelesspressroom
