First-ever 3G single core reference design

Freescale Semiconductor, Nokia Corporation and Symbian Limited are joining together to create the first 3G mobile phone reference design using Freescale’s single core modem, targeted to run S60 software on Symbian OS. This reference design is expected to provide handset manufacturers and operators the first real solution to address the mid-tier 3G market segment, and to reduce device development time by up to 50 percent.

The foundation of this new reference design will be Freescale’s MXC300-30 platform, part of the award-winning Mobile eXtreme Convergence architecture. The reference design is expected to offer a pre-integrated development and verification environment, providing shorter time-to-market for phone manufacturers, operators and system integrators. Freescale is showcasing the MXC300-30 platform at next week’s 3GSM World Congress held in Barcelona.

Elektrobit Group Plc, a company specialized in wireless technology design and testing, is implementing this reference design utilizing Elektrobit’s expertise in 3G technology and S60. This work further supports Elektrobit’s initiative to develop a 3G S60 on Symbian OS reference phone also announced today.

Jens Schulte-Bockum, Vodafone Group Director of Terminals, said that Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) is encouraged by this initiative as they hope it will enable lower cost 3G S60 devices based on Symbian OS in 2007.