Europe Germany : Infineon Technologies announced that Seiko Instruments Inc (SII) selected the SMART 3G single-chip CMOS radio frequency (RF) transceiver developed by Infineon, for UMTS/HSDPA data card applications. SII, the leading vendor of RF data communication cards in Japan, will use the SMARTi 3G transceiver in its C01SI UMTS /HSDPA data card model to enable laptop and PDA users to connect to the Internet via the cellular network and enjoy download speeds of up to 3.6Mbp/s.

The new data communication card powered by the SMARTi 3G will be supplied to “Softbank Mobile”, a leading 3G mobile phone carrier in Japan, for use in Softbank Mobile's first data card UMTS/HSDPA service offering.

"The SMARTi 3G is a compact and highly advanced UMTS transceiver with proven quality and capabilities," said Takaaki Yamamoto, Vice President and General Manager of Mobile Communication Systems Division of Seiko Instruments. "The device made it possible for us to integrate HSDPA support and receiver diversity in a compact flash-sized card. This new solution will enable Softbank Mobile’s business and private customers to take advantage of high-speed Internet applications, to download emails and share content even when on the move."

“We are very pleased to have our SMARTi 3G selected by Seiko Instruments and are proud that our combined solution was able to successfully pass the rigorous testing criteria of Softbank Mobile,” said Stefan Wolff, Vice President, Communication Solutions business group and General Manager of the RF Engine business unit at Infineon. “This success is a result of our leading technological expertise and the great relations with our customer SII.”

The SMARTi 3G is the world's first cellular transceiver IC that supports all currently specified frequency bands designated for all UMTS networks around the world.

A standard analog interface ensures compatibility with the majority of existing 3G base band processors. The SMARTi 3G supports HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) Category 8 with the downlink data rate of 7.2 Mbps. Full compliance with HSDPA requirements for higher data rates gives system designers a simple migration path to next generation UMTS handset based on the same architecture.

About Seiko Instruments Inc.

Seiko Instruments Inc. (SII) was established in 1937 as a key watch manufacturing company for the Seiko Group. Based on its sophisticated micromechatronics and nanotechnology techniques developed through decades of experience in precision machinery manufacturing and low-power consumption technologies, the company provides micromechatronic products and services including watch and HDD components; semiconductors, FPD and electronic devices; network solutions systems; nanotechnology equipment; scientific instruments; and large-format inkjet printers.