Broadcom Demonstrates Support for All Key Mobile Phone Open Operating Systems on Its Single-Chip Smartphone Solution
Broadcom's 3G Cellular Design Platform Supports Symbian®, Windows Mobile® and Linux®, with Live Demonstrations at 2008 Mobile World Congress
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 11 -- 2008 MWC -- Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ:BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that it will demonstrate support for the three most popular open operating systems (OpenOSs) on its innovative and cost effective third generation (3G) cellular design platform. With the ability to support Symbian®, Windows Mobile® or Linux® on a single monolithic chip, Broadcom demonstrates industry leading OpenOS support at this week's 2008 Mobile World Congress. Powered by the Broadcom® BCM2153 dual-core HSDPA processor, this 3G design solution provides a flexible, cost effective platform to drive the increased proliferation of devices based on these operating systems that comprise 90%(1) of the smartphone market.
As the 3G cellular landscape continues to evolve towards higher speed mobile connections, the market is moving to High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), which provides the fastest available throughput for higher speed cellular connectivity and improved network capacity to enable more users. HSDPA handsets typically require additional processing capabilities to support open operating systems such as Symbian, Windows Mobile and Linux, which have the power and flexibility to support the advanced applications enabled by these faster network connections.
Broadcom's advanced BCM2153 smartphone processor features dual ARM® CPUs, providing a cost effective solution that eliminates the conventional need for an external discrete application processor and enables a new generation of smartphone products at price points commonly associated with less expensive "feature phone" devices. IDC market research projects that smartphones will represent 22.2 percent of the cell phone market by 2011, compared with 11.1% this year.
"Last year, we introduced the BCM2153 to essentially eliminate the price premiums for smartphone products. Since then, we've aggressively added support for not one, but all three of the most popular open operating systems to further ease the development of smartphones as their market share doubles over the next few years," says Michael Civiello, Senior Director of Marketing for Broadcom's Mobile Communications line of business. "Demonstrating Symbian, Windows Mobile and Linux, all running on the same platform, shows the processing power and flexibility that makes the BCM2153 a strong foundation for next generation smartphone devices."
At the Mobile World Congress, among other demonstrations Broadcom will show the Symbian OS(TM) software platform, Microsoft's Windows Mobile, and a Linux implementation based on LiMo Foundation specifications running on the BCM2153 platform, highlighting the processor's power and flexibility as an engine for innovative smartphone development.
Open OS Industry Support
In an effort to enable third party software developers whose contributions will help to drive smartphone capabilities and future developments, Broadcom has become an active member in the Symbian and Nokia S60 ecosystems and the Linux-based LiMo Foundation. In addition, Broadcom announced expansion of its Taiwan Design Center in May 2007, to increase staff and resources on Windows Mobile applications running on the BCM2153 design platform. The result is that Broadcom has made a substantial commitment to OpenOS development, helping to drive additional opportunities for innovation in the smartphone product category, and is positioned to accommodate any major OpenOS with a complete hardware and software reference design as part of its CellAirity(TM) platform.
The BCM2153 is a member of Broadcom's CellAirity cellular offering -- a modular software and hardware platform that provides best-in-class solutions for all of the critical components required for today's advanced mobile devices. CellAirity includes products that enable leading baseband and application processing, 2G and 3G cellular connectivity, multimedia acceleration and power management, as well as peripheral technologies such as Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, GPS and mobile TV.
(1) In-Stat, November 2007.
About Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment. We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art, system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything®.
Broadcom is one of the world's largest fabless semiconductor companies, with 2007 revenue of $3.78 billion, and holds over 2,500 U.S. and 1,000 foreign patents, more than 7,400 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video and data.
Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Broadcom may be contacted at +1.949.926.5000 or at www.broadcom.com/.
Broadcom Trade Press Contact
Jeremy Hyatt
Senior Manager
Corporate Communications
949-926-5971
jhyatt@broadcom.com
Source: Broadcom Corporation; BRCM Mobile & Wireless
Web site: www.broadcom.com/
