Texas Instruments Launches 'LoCosto ULC' Single-Chip Platform for Low-Cost Color MP3 Camera Phones

Texas Instruments Launches 'LoCosto ULC' Single-Chip Platform for Low-Cost Color MP3 Camera Phones

February 13, 2007

TI's 3rd Generation GSM Solution for ULC Market Meets the
Evolving Requirements of Emerging Economies


    BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- New
subscriber rates are experiencing meteoric growth in
emerging markets worldwide, with demand for affordable
handsets continuing to rise. Addressing this phenomenon at
a press conference at 3GSM World Congress, Texas
Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE:TXN) today announced
its third generation GSM solution for the ultra low-cost
handset market, specifically designed to enhance the user
experience with added features and improvements.  This
includes dramatic improvements in voice clarity and
loudness; battery life; and support for a range of advanced
features, including enhanced color display, FM stereo, MP3
ring tones, camera, and MP3 playback.  The "LoCosto
ULC" single-chip platform will reduce electronic bill
of materials (e-BOM) by up to 25 percent compared to the
current generation. 

    (Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn/xprn/sa/20061107170439-20.jpg ) 

    The "LoCosto ULC" single-chip platform is an
extension of TI's successful "LoCosto" family of
solutions, which is in volume production today.
"LoCosto ULC" represents the latest advancement
in TI's sophisticated and integrated DRP(TM) single-chip
technology, a pioneering approach to wireless chip design
that defined the single-chip approach by integrating the RF
transceiver and analog codec with the digital baseband. This
technology has significantly reduced board space and system
costs and has extended battery life.  TI's new
"LoCosto ULC" products, the TCS2305 and TCS2315,
are the industry's first 65-nanometer (nm) single-chip
mobile phone products for GSM and GPRS handsets and will
sample in the first half of 2007.   

    "As high-growth emerging economies add
subscribers, these consumers have made it clear they desire
more than basic mobile phones," said Alain Mutricy,
TI's Vice President and General Manager of Cellular Systems
Solutions for its Wireless Terminals Business Unit, during
today's press conference.  "TI continues to change the
playing field with `LoCosto,' adding features consumers now
want on sleek ultra low-cost handsets.  We are achieving
this through continued system integration and cost
reduction with our DRP single-chip technology and by moving
the `LoCosto' platform to 65-nanometer."  Compared to
the current "LoCosto" generation, the TCS2305 and
TCS2315 solutions will enable 60 percent longer stand-by
time and 30 percent longer talk time, significantly
improving handset battery life - a critical requirement in
rural areas where access to power infrastructure may be
limited.  The solutions will also offer a 2X improvement in
voice loudness and will include full duplex voice call
support to mitigate voice chopping, both of which are
necessary in noisy environments. Additionally,
"LoCosto ULC" will offer full color display with
no external SRAM and will support more advanced, cooler
features for a unique user experience, including MP3 ring
tones and MP3 playback; FM stereo; camera; USB charging for
universal and easy charger access; slimmer, more stylish
form factors; and handset security through TI's
M-Shield(TM) advanced hardware and software security
framework for robust protection of copyrighted content for
publishers and operator investments of value-added
services. (Visit http://www.ti.com/locosto for more
information.)

    TI's "LoCosto" single-chip platform has been
well-received by customers, and represents the sharpest
launch of any new product TI has introduced in its wireless
history.  TI is well-positioned to continue its strong ramp
with 15 current "LoCosto" customers, more than 10
million units shipped to date in 12 handset models, and more
than 50 handset designs expected to be in production in
2007.  The introduction of the "LoCosto ULC"
single-chip platform builds on the success of TI's first
generation and second generation ULC products, the TCS2300
chipset and "LoCosto," which are in handsets
chosen by the GSM Association for its Emerging Market
Handset initiative.  The new "LoCosto ULC"
products will feed the next stage of growth for the ULC
market, which is expected to reach more than 330 million
units by 2011 (source: ABI Research, January 2007).  

    Availability

    "LoCosto ULC" products will sample in the
first half of 2007 and are expected to be in volume
production in 2008. 

    About Texas Instruments

    Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP
and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world
signal processing requirements.  In addition to
Semiconductor, the company includes the Education
Technology business.  TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas,
and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more
than 25 countries.

    Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located
on the World Wide Web at www.ti.com.

    Trademarks

    DRP and M-Shield are registered trademarks of Texas
Instruments.  All registered trademarks and other
trademarks belong to their respective owners.



    For more information, please contact:
  
     U.S.  Renee Fancher	
     Tel:   [phone]	
     Email: [e-mail]

     U.S.  Gail Chandler	
     Tel:   [phone]	
     Email: [e-mail]

     EMEA  Daniela Koeppe	
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]


SOURCE  Texas Instruments