EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) platform for portable wireless devices.

Analog Devices announced its plans to develop a complete EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) platform for portable wireless devices.

EDGE systems will enable consumers to use cellular phones, PDAs and other wireless Internet devices to place phone calls, surf the Web, or download and play video, audio, and multimedia content. EDGE is designed to deliver data at rates up to 473.6 kbps, triple the bandwidth of most wireless services. Built on the existing GSM (Global System for Mobile) standard and core network infrastructure, EDGE is expected to deploy widely throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe. In the United States, AT&T Wireless, Voicestream, and Cingular Wireless have announced plans to install EDGE infrastructure.

ADI's platform will feature EDGE/E-GPRS software from TTPCom of Cambridge, England, and will be based on ADI's award-winning and patented Blackfin(TM) digital signal processing (DSP) and Othello(TM) direct conversion radio technology as well as ADI's mixed-signal and power management technology. The Blackfin DSP core performs functions such as signal modulation, channel equalization, and speech coding to deliver voice capabilities and high-speed data services. The Othello direct conversion radio technology simplifies traditional radio designs by allowing incoming radio frequency signals to be converted directly to baseband signals, eliminating the need for intermediate frequency, among the most expensive components of the radio.

"EDGE enables a carrier to provide higher data rates and 3G-like services to subscribers today since the majority of GSM/GPRS wireless infrastructure currently being deployed has been designed with EDGE capability. EDGE is widely-regarded as a low-cost evolutionary standard on the way to Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) or 3G," said Christian Kermarrec, vice president, RF and wireless systems, Analog Devices, Inc. "TTPCom's software expertise is a perfect complement to ADI's Blackfin DSP, mixed signal, RF and power management technologies and together we provide a solution for the EDGE market."

"ADI is providing an excellent foundation for EDGE with this new platform, incorporating the Blackfin DSP core, and utilizing their Othello radio," commented Tony Milbourn, managing director at TTPCom. "When combined with TTPCom's EDGE software and experience in systems design, it provides manufacturers with a low-risk and fast route to this important US market."

ADI's EDGE platform includes the RF transceiver, analog interface and power management technology and DSP baseband processor. The platform will be available first half of 2003.

ADI Signal Processing Technology for Wireless Applications

ADI's EDGE platform is part of an established product and technology portfolio for cellular infrastructure and wireless terminals, which includes solutions for GSM, GPRS and W-CDMA. ADI has optimized RF, mixed-signal, power management and DSP technology for the different needs of infrastructure and terminal applications. The products optimized for wireless infrastructure applications include the market-leading SoftCell(TM) chipset for wideband data conversion, high-performance RF functions, and TigerSHARC(TM) DSPs for multi-channel baseband processing. The terminal-optimized products, for example, include Othello and Othello One(TM) direct conversion radio chips and the SoftFone(TM) baseband processor family.

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ADI's EDGE platform includes the RF transceiver, analog interface and power management technology and DSP baseband processor. The platform will be available first half of 2003.

ADI Signal Processing Technology for Wireless Applications