我們都知道,手機(jī)基帶芯片市場(chǎng)曾經(jīng)歷過(guò)一場(chǎng)波及眾多供貨商的血腥商業(yè)戰(zhàn);而不只我一個(gè)人曾經(jīng)想過(guò),也許剛起步的 LTE市場(chǎng)會(huì)僅剩少數(shù)幾家手機(jī)芯片供應(yīng)商幸存,扮演死神角色的則是中國(guó)移動(dòng)(China Mobile)。
到目前為止,德州儀器(TI)是唯一放棄LTE市場(chǎng)生存機(jī)會(huì)的智能手機(jī)芯片供貨商;該公司最近宣布裁員1,700人,并重申將其OMAP處理器產(chǎn)品線應(yīng)用焦點(diǎn)由智能手機(jī)轉(zhuǎn)向他處的意圖。高通(Qualcomm)則持續(xù)稱霸智能手機(jī)基帶芯片市場(chǎng),其地位看來(lái)也不會(huì)因?yàn)長(zhǎng)TE時(shí)代的即將到來(lái)而有所改變。
高通屹立不搖的霸主地位并沒(méi)有讓聯(lián)發(fā)科(MediaTek)、Marvell、展訊(Spreadtrum)、ST-Ericsson與Renesas Mobile等其它芯片供貨商放棄LTE市場(chǎng);其中有不少業(yè)者都提出了將發(fā)表多模、多頻芯片,能向后兼容舊有基帶系統(tǒng)之解決方案的計(jì)劃。
事實(shí)上,準(zhǔn)備進(jìn)軍LTE基帶芯片市場(chǎng)的供貨商不但沒(méi)有減少,反而有增加的趨勢(shì)。
一家日本手機(jī)芯片合資公司Access Network Technology不久前透露將推出第一款LTE基帶芯片的計(jì)劃,并將內(nèi)建于預(yù)定2013年夏天上市的富士通(Fujitsu) 智能手機(jī)中。這家合資公司是在今年8月成立,股東包括富士通(持股比例52.8%)、NTT Docomo (持股比例19.9%)、NEC (持股比例17.8%)以及富士通半導(dǎo)體(Fujitsu Semiconductor,持股比例9.5%)。
這是曾經(jīng)結(jié)束、又重新開(kāi)始的,由NTT Docomo 所領(lǐng)軍的手機(jī)芯片合作案后續(xù),初始成員還包括松下(Panasonic)與三星(Samsung),但該合作案在去年春天因股東們無(wú)法針對(duì)合資企業(yè)細(xì)節(jié)達(dá)成共識(shí)而一度破局。
根據(jù)富士通的發(fā)言人表示,合資企業(yè)所開(kāi)發(fā)的基帶芯片,整合了支持LTE、W-CDMA以及中國(guó)移動(dòng)TD-LTE標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的調(diào)制解調(diào)器,其功耗比競(jìng)爭(zhēng)產(chǎn)品低30%。
當(dāng)然,并非每一種“LTE解決方案”都是相同的。依據(jù)每家競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的原有調(diào)制解調(diào)器業(yè)務(wù),他們對(duì)舊有調(diào)制解調(diào)器的支持程度也會(huì)不同;舉例來(lái)說(shuō),身為TD-SCDMA調(diào)制解調(diào)器芯片領(lǐng)導(dǎo)廠商的展訊,還是會(huì)繼續(xù)發(fā)展自家的WCDMA解決方案。
當(dāng)富士通被問(wèn)到新合資公司推出的新型芯片,是否會(huì)支持TD-SCDMA標(biāo)準(zhǔn)時(shí),該公司的響應(yīng)是:“目前這一代我們已經(jīng)開(kāi)發(fā)完成的芯片不會(huì);”但是他們又補(bǔ)充表示:“與全球標(biāo)準(zhǔn)互通是我們的目標(biāo)?!?
本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times,版權(quán)所有,謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載
本文下一頁(yè):想取得中國(guó)移動(dòng)TD-LTE設(shè)計(jì)案訂單應(yīng)該怎么做?
相關(guān)閱讀:
• LTE終端市場(chǎng)上揚(yáng),測(cè)試設(shè)備面臨新需求
• 棄用高通基帶芯片,三星與蘋果之平臺(tái)戰(zhàn)啟幕
• TD終端明年銷量超1億,Marvell公布多模芯片演進(jìn)路線kOSesmc
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對(duì)任何一家想取得中國(guó)移動(dòng)TD-LTE設(shè)計(jì)案的芯片業(yè)者來(lái)說(shuō),支持TD-SCDMA可說(shuō)是必要條件;中國(guó)移動(dòng)所需要的TD-LTE解決方案,一定都得具備能真正支持多標(biāo)準(zhǔn)、多頻段的能力。而這也再一次說(shuō)明了高通是如何積極地想在市場(chǎng)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)中勝出,因?yàn)樵摴疽呀?jīng)準(zhǔn)備好推出 TD-SCDMA/TD-LTE參考設(shè)計(jì)。
市場(chǎng)研究機(jī)構(gòu)Forward Concepts總經(jīng)理Will Strauss在最近的一篇部落格文章中指出:“高通的目標(biāo)是藉由TD-SCDMA/TD-LTE解決方案成為第一家符合中國(guó)移動(dòng)長(zhǎng)期計(jì)劃的供貨商,該解決方案也將成為高通的第三代QRD (Qualcomm Reference Design)?!?
Strauss表示,高通的QRD解決方案將會(huì)是由Snapdragon S4搭配MSM8930平臺(tái),以其Krait架構(gòu)為基礎(chǔ)的雙核心處理器,支持UMTS、CDMA、TC-SCDMA,以及TD-/FDD-LTE,能提供支持所有中國(guó)移動(dòng)通信業(yè)者的解決方案。
在2013年第一季左右,我們就會(huì)看到LTE基帶芯片大戰(zhàn)正式展開(kāi),而且不只是以產(chǎn)品發(fā)表會(huì)的演示文稿形式呈現(xiàn),而是真正在商業(yè)化量產(chǎn)市場(chǎng)開(kāi)打。
本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times,版權(quán)所有,謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載
編譯:Judith Cheng
參考英文原文:Yoshida in China: Key to LTE winners is China Mobile,by Junko Yoshida
相關(guān)閱讀:
• LTE終端市場(chǎng)上揚(yáng),測(cè)試設(shè)備面臨新需求
• 棄用高通基帶芯片,三星與蘋果之平臺(tái)戰(zhàn)啟幕
• TD終端明年銷量超1億,Marvell公布多模芯片演進(jìn)路線kOSesmc
{pagination}
Yoshida in China: Key to LTE winners is China Mobile
Junko Yoshida
Qualcomm’s decisive lead hasn’t stopped companies like MediaTek, Marvell and Spreadtrum from going after the LTE market as the "Qualcomm alternative."
PARIS – We all know that the baseband chip market for mobile handsets has been a bloody business fought among too many vendors. I'm not alone in wondering if the budding LTE market might thin the ranks with just a few mobile chip players left standing. China Mobile might turn out to be the grim reaper.
So far, only Texas Instruments among current smartphone chip suppliers has given up hope of surviving in the LTE market. TI recently announced a plan to cut about 1,700 jobs, and reiterated its intention to shift the focus of its OMAP product line away from smartphones.
Qualcomm continues to dominate the smartphone baseband market, and it’s dominance is not likely to change in the coming LTE world.
That hasn’t stopped companies such as MediaTek, Marvell, Spreadtrum, ST-Ericsson and Renesas Mobile from going after the LTE market as the “Qualcomm alternative.” Many have described big plans to launch multi-mode, multi-frequency chips that are backward-compatible with the legacy baseband systems.
Indeed, the list of chip companies gunning for the LTE baseband business appears to be increasing, not shrinking.
A Japanese mobile chip joint venture called Access Network Technology last week tipped plans for the company’s first LTE baseband chip, scheduled to be designed into Fujitsu’s smartphone handsets by the summer 2013.
The Japanese joint venture, founded in August, consists of Fujitsu (52.8 percent), NTT Docomo (19.9 percent), NEC (17.8 percent) and Fujitsu Semiconductor (9.5 percent). This is an offshoot of an off-again, on-again NTT Docomo-led mobile chip venture. Original members included Panasonic and Samsung, but the deal was cancelled last spring when stakeholders disagreed on the details of the joint venture.
According to a Fujitsu spokesman, the JV's baseband chip is integrated with LTE, W-CDMA and China Mobile’s TD-LTE modems. The company claims power consumption in the new modem chip will be lower than competitors’ products by as much as 30 percent.
Of course, not every so-called “LTE solution” is the same.
China Mobile calls the shots
Depending on the heritage of each competitor’s modem business, the degree of support for legacy modems differ. For example, Spreadtrum, a leading TD-SCDMA modem chip supplier, is still working on its own WCDMA solution.
I asked Fujitsu if the new chip from the mobile joint venture will support TD-SCDMA. She responded, “No, not in the current generation chip we’ve just finished.” She added, however: “being compatible with global standards is our goal.”
For any chip company looking for a TD-LTE design win with China Mobile, support for TD-SCDMA is a must. China Mobile demands that every TD-LTE solution must offer true multi-standard, multi-frequency capability.
Once again, that’s precisly how Qualcomm is goingto win the battle since it is p to offer a TD-SCDMA/TD-LTE reference design.
As Will Strauss, president of Forward Concepts, noted in his recent blog, “Qualcomm aims to be the first with a TD-SCDMA/TD-LTE solution which fits like a glove with China Mobile’s long-term plan. This will be the company’s third generation Qualcomm Reference Design (QRD).”
Strauss said Qualcomm’s QRD solution will be a Snapdragon S4 plus MSM8930 platform featuring a dual-core processor based on its Krait architecture. It will support UMTS, CDMA, TC-SCDMA, TD- and FDD-LTE, providing solutions that can help all operators in China.
Around the first quarter of 2013, we’ll see the LTE baseband race begin in earnest. It will be fought not with power point presentations, but in the commercial, volume market.
責(zé)編:Quentin