US / China : Analog Devices and Datang Mobile, leading developer of the TD-SCDMA standard, announced a complete reference design for the development of 3G cellular handsets based on the TD-SCDMA standard.

Inset is the image of the DTivy reference design.

TD-SCDMA, also known as TDD-LCR (Time-Division Duplex - Low Chip Rate), is one of the 3G standards approved by the International Telecommunication Union in the year 2000. In addition, through long-term testing of the standard, it has been verified that TD-SCDMA has the ability to support an independent national 3G network. Based on recent reports, local industry experts estimate that TD-SCDMA will represent approximately one quarter of China's 3G cellular market by revenue. China's mobile phone users currently total over 345 million, according to analyst reports.

The new DTivy(TM)--A Series reference design provides manufacturers with a complete hardware and software solution for next-generation 3G TD-SCDMA products such as high-end camera phones, camcorder phones, multimedia phones, and video phones. The reference design includes ADI's SoftFone(R)-LCR chipset including the digital baseband processor featuring the Blackfin(R) Processor core, an analog baseband/audio/power-management IC, Othello-W(R) direct conversion radio, and Datang's leading complementary technologies, which include the MeCo(TM) leading physical layer and higher layer protocol stack software, SICE(TM) power saving technology, ARENA(TM)development platform, and GARNET(TM)rich application system for 3G communications. In addition, Datang provides powerful tool kits for debugging and professional testing service for all kinds of customers.

"Our ongoing collaborative efforts with Datang have resulted in the industry's most complete and highly-integrated reference design for 3G handsets based on the TD-SCDMA standard," said Christian Kermarrec, vice president, RF and wireless systems, Analog Devices, Inc. "TD-SCDMA design activity is at an all-time high, and our reference design provides a flexible, yet robust platform to simplify handset design and speed time-to-market, which are both critical factors as manufacturers race to carve out a leadership position in China's 3G industry."

"In working with Analog Devices on the TD-SCDMA reference design, it has become clear that the company's emphasis, with its SoftFone chipset, on achieving flexibility and high performance through clever design practices is expertly in tune with the needs of the TD-SCDMA market, said Mr. Sun Yuwang, Vice President, Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co., Ltd. "We believe our reference design answers the call of TD-SCDMA supporters by helping to eliminate the obstacle of insufficient handset availability."

About the DTivy--A Series Reference Design

The DTivy--A series reference design is based on Analog Devices' SoftFone-LCR chipset, a completely RAM-based solution which allows handset manufacturers to customize features and options entirely in software, without having to replace or add componentry. Since the chipset features Analog Devices Blackfin Processor, the chipset includes the processing power needed for multimedia applications such as MP3 audio, MPEG4 video and megapixel cameras, often without the need for a separate applications processor. This means that handset manufacturers can design mid- to high-end feature phones significant BOM savings and faster time to market. In addition, the reference design includes the MeCo protocol stack software, which is field-proven and developed by the pioneer of the TD-SCDMA standard, Datang Mobile. Samples of the reference design are available now through Datang Mobile with volume production scheduled later this year.