Royal Philips Electronics (Netherlands) and Ericsson Mobile Platforms (Sweden) signed an agreement that reinforces the strategic partnership in the development of 2.5 and 3G mobile handset technologies using Philips' semiconductor capabilities. Under the terms of the agreement, Philips will source semiconductor devices and make technologies available for Ericsson reference designs. Ericsson will gain access to Philips' semiconductor product and technology portfolio, including RF ASICs, baseband ASICs, power amplifiers and power management units.
"We have had an established relationship with Philips for many years and this is a natural choice for us," said Tord Wingren, president of Ericsson Mobile Platforms. "The company's leading position in the communications market, combined with its low-cost, high-performance, RF process technology, will enable Ericsson Mobile Platforms to realize its goal to support all major next-generation wireless standards, including GSM/GPRS, EDGE and WCDMA. Increasing our cooperation will help us focus on a limited number of key partners."
