Nokia, ST-Ericsson Partner on TD-SCDMA Devices

Nokia and ST-Ericsson have announced a long term partnership in the area of TD-SCDMA technology that will see Nokia use ST-Ericsson as a key chipset supplier for its Symbian-based TD-SCDMA devices.

Nokia has affirmed its commitments to the development TD-SCDMA, the the Chinese homegrown 3G standard. In October, the company launched Nokia 6788, its first Symbian-based TD-SCDMA phone and announced the creation of a dedicated TD-SCDMA R&D team in Beijing.

Meanwhile, ST-Ericsson, through its Chinese subsidiary T3G, has been involved in the creation of new TD-SCDMA technology and devices for more than six years. The company recently announced major milestones in its China TD-SCDMA work, including the shipment of 5 million TD chipsets.

"TD-SCDMA is a core part of our strategy to deliver the best mobile user experience to Chinese people," said Heikki Koivu, VP of TD-SCDMA at Nokia, in a statement. "Based on Symbian, TD-SCDMA will be enriched by the mature Symbian ecosystem, its devices, services and solutions. At the same time, TD-SCDMA will offer Symbian ecosystem partners more opportunities in the future."

Both Nokia and ST-Ericsson are playing active roles in Symbian Foundation.

Electronic News, a sister publication of EM Asia