INTEL
AND MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC COLLABORATE ON THIRD-GENERATION CELLULAR
SOLUTION
Companies to Jointly Develop Cellular Chipset
TOKYO, May 17, 2000 - Intel Corporation and
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Mitsubishi) today announced they
will co-develop a cellular chipset for the third-generation (3G)
wireless technology market. Intel and Mitsubishi explained they
will work together to develop and market the new chipset and associated
software as Japan deploys 3G wireless technology. Work on the
chipset has begun, and the companies intend to expand their joint
development effort to other geographic regions using the same
platform architecture.
"Intel is committed to being a leading-edge
wireless building block supplier. Today's announcement of a new
chipset solution, developed by Intel and Mitsubishi, further demonstrates
our ability to provide competitive solutions to the wireless marketplace,"
said Ron Smith, vice president and general manager of Intel's
Wireless Communications and Computing Group.
"Using Intel's wireless solutions, Mitsubishi can
develop a high-performance, low-power and highly integrated multimedia
3G cellular phone. Japan is our initial focus market, and we expect
to use the same architecture platform for Europe and other regions
in a timely manner," said Michio Nakanishi, group president
of the Communication Systems Group, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.
Intel's Wireless Building Blocks
Intel announced its commitment to wireless communications with
the formation of its Wireless Communications and Computing Group
in December 1999. The group focuses on cellular and wireless communications,
providing building blocks for computing and wireless communication
devices and data applications in the growing cellular market.
Intel's wireless direction includes building on core businesses,
such as its industry-leading flash memory technology; cellular
chipsets; high-performance, low-power processors; and digital
signal processing activities. Additionally, Intel has opened Intel(r)
Wireless Competence Centers in Sweden, Japan and China to work
with regional industry leaders on developing wireless solutions.
Cellular Phone Business of Mitsubishi Electric
Mitsubishi carries out cellular phone business globally with centers
in Japan, United States, Europe and China. The company plans to
ship more than 25 million cellular phones worldwide in fiscal
2000, which will be expanded to 60 million units by fiscal 2003.
Mitsubishi has developed PDC-compliant cellular phones and Internet-capable
units such as i-mode, and is developing W-CDMA units for 3G cellular
phones. The company is also promoting development of GSM900/1800,
WAP, GPRS and UMTS-compliant units in Europe and PCS1900, TDMA
and Cdma2000 units in the United States. It has established a
research center in China to promote cellular phone business with
GSM900/1800 units.
About Intel Corporation
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer
of computer, networking and communications products. Additional
information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
About Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
With more than 75 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality
products to both corporate clients and general consumers all over
the world, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation is a recognized world
leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and
electronic equipment used in information processing and communications,
space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics,
industrial technology, energy, transportation and construction.
With operations in 34 countries, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
recorded consolidated group sales of over US$31 billion in the
year ended March 31, 1999. Additional information on Mitsubishi
Electric Corporation is available at global.mitsubishielectric.com.
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