Infineon Makes UMTS Phones Usable Worldwide
MUNICH, GERMANY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- Jun 14, 2005 --
New features such as fast data transmission
and new applications like recording, sending and receiving video clips or
receiving television while on the move are generally associated with the
new UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) mobile radio
standard. But "universal" does not automatically mean that a UMTS handset
will also work anywhere in the world. A total of six frequency blocks have
been defined for providing UMTS services worldwide. To make next-generation
mobile phones "universal" in the truest sense of the word, Infineon
Technologies AG (FSE: IFX) (NYSE: IFX) recently introduced a new chip which
accommodates the transmit and receive electronics for all six frequency
bands in a footprint measuring only 5mm on 5mm. SMARTi 3G is the name of
the smart chip, which Infineon unveiled this week at an industry conference
in California.
Mobile radio devices include a radio-frequency transceiver which is
responsible for transmitting and receiving the signals. The term
"transceiver" is a composite formed from the two words "transmitter" and
"receiver." Prior to transmission, the SMARTi 3G converts the electronic
signals for voice or data into high-frequency signals and amplifies them.
It converts received high-frequency signals into low-frequency electronic
signals, which are then converted into voice and data in the phone's
processor.
Samples of the SMARTi 3G are already available and leading manufacturers
worldwide are integrating the chip into the next generation of UMTS
handsets. Infineon is
a major player when it comes to transmit and receive electronics for mobile
phones. Last year the company sold more than 170 million transceiver chips.
This means that roughly one in four mobile phones worldwide operates with
an Infineon transceiver.
The SMARTi 3G chip is manufactured using silicon process technology with
microstructures of only 130 nanometers (a human hair is 500 times thicker).
At 7.2 megabits per second, it meets the requirements of next-generation
UMTS telephones for data transmission from the base station to the mobile
device. The chip was developed in Germany and Austria and is produced in
France.
About Infineon
Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor and system
solutions for automotive, industrial and multimarket sectors, for
applications in communication, as well as memory products. With a global
presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the US from San
Jose, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore and in Japan from
Tokyo. In fiscal year 2004 (ending September), the company achieved sales
of Euro 7.19 billion with about 35,600 employees worldwide. Infineon is
listed on the DAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York
Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX). Further information is available at
www.infineon.com.
This news release and press photos are available online at
http://www.infineon.com/news/.
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