SkyCross, a global antenna solutions company, has partnered with Infineon Technologies AG to reduce the bill of materials for ultra-low cost handsets. The handset architecture will use Infineon chips and SkyCross iMAT antennas to eliminate conventional RF components.
SkyCross said the combination will lead to lower cost, simpler integration and space savings without sacrificing performance.
The benefits of the new handset architecture result from consolidating components. The Infineon platform is comprised of one single chip that integrates baseband, power management, RF and two SIM interfaces. When the chip is paired with an iMAT antenna from SkyCross, which offers multiple feeds, each with high isolation, developers can eliminate the switchplexer in the system. The solution also bundles technologies, development tools and customer support specifically designed for high volume production.
“Cost is a main driver in each of the mobile phone segments, but pressure is particularly intense for the rapidly growing, high volume, ultra-low cost segment,” stated Horst Pratsch, vice president of marketing for the Entry Phone Business at Infineon.
The architecture is available now, and future generations are coming soon. The Infineon X-Gold 102 chip already in mass production incorporates the iMAT dual feed antenna into its XMM 1020 platform. iMAT, launched in January 2008, is available today in production units such as the first USB dongle to be certified by the WiMAX Forum.
