Aug 28, 2006 12:29 PM,

Qualcomm releases CDMA chip for emerging markets

By Kevin Fitchard

Qualcomm today released one of the first chipsets in its new line of single-chip CDMA silicon, targeted at emerging markets where the price of CDMA networks and handsets can be cost prohibitive.

The QSC1100 integrates a baseband modem, RF transceiver, power management functions and system memory onto a single chip, reducing bill-of-materials cost and overall board-area savings by 50%. Qualcomm said it plans to begin sampling the chip by the second half of 2007

The QSC line is a definite departure from its Mobile Station Modem (MSM) line of solutions, which typically contain a baseband modem and higher-order processing capabilities for the device. While MSM chips come in a range they are definitely meant to scale upwards, targeting higher-end handsets produced in most mature markets today. The QSC, however, is intended to scale down to target markets where monthly average revenues per subscriber are expected to be much lower and the cost of equipment prohibitive. In India, monthly ARPUs are expected to be within the $5 to $10 range and the cost of a handset below $30.

While scaled back to eliminate fancier features on its MSM line, the QSC still contains some enhanced features, such as the SMS support and the ability to download and render polyphonic ringtones and wallpapers. The chipset, however, has been primarily optimized for voice. Qulacomm said the use of fewer discrete components and new power optimization technologies give the chipset double the standard talk time of other CDMA devices, addressing the lack of readily available power sources in some developing countries. The chipset is also designed to make more efficient use of spectrum and voice capacity available on the network through new Vocoder and interference cancellation technologies, helping carriers cut their operating costs, Qualcomm said.