Expanding its portfolio of 3G TD-SCDMA technology solutions, Analog Devices, Inc. has unveiled its second-generation chipset for developers of 3G mobile handsets based on the time-division synchronous code-division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) low chip rate (LCR) air interface. The new SoftFone-LCR+ chipset provides support for enhanced multimedia functions such as 3-megapixel cameras, USB, multiformat audio encode/decode, wavetable MIDI and MP3 ringtones, as well as advanced video capture and playback and stereo audio codecs. The chipset enables dual-mode TD-SCDMA/GPRS operation and achieves full 384 kbps 3G performance, enabling faster download speeds, video streaming, video telephony and Web browsing capabilities. In addition, the SoftFone-LCR+ chipset also features the company’s RF transceiver, Othello-W, which offers the lowest call drop rates and best sensitivity available, ADI said. The SoftFone-LCR+ chipset has been demonstrated on a live TD-SCDMA network, successfully completing file transfers on a 384 kbps data connection, according to ADI.

The SoftFone-LCR+ chipset supports video algorithms such as MPEG4, H.263 and H.264 for screen sizes up to QVGA; stereo audio codecs including MP3, AAC+, WMA and others; and it offers 128-voice MIDI ringtones – all handled in software. The chipset also includes built-in support for up to 3-megapixel resolution cameras as well as USB. The chipset also supports full “boot from NAND” capability, so that cost-effective NOR-less designs for feature phones are possible.

The TD-SCDMA standard was proposed by the China Wireless Telecommunication Standards group (CWTS) and approved by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) as the low-chip-rate TDD standard of the 3G standard family. Designed for 1.6 MHz channels, it is compatible with 5 MHz unpaired 3G bands in any region of the world. TD-SCDMA can serve as a complement to W-CDMA deployments since it uses the same network backbone. Last month, Chinese telecom operators entered into a TD-SCDMA trial network and received 3G services. Analog Devices has been working closely with Datang Mobile, a leading company dedicated to the research and development of TD-SCDMA and the software provider for the SoftFone-LCR chipsets, and together the companies offer a series of solutions, which provide all the necessary hardware and software to develop a 3G TD-SCDMA phone suitable for volume production. In addition, the dual-mode TD-SCDMA software is provided by Datang Mobile and includes GPRS protocol stack software from Sasken Communication Technologies Ltd.