ST-Ericsson ready to launch TD-LTE chips

ST-Ericsson, the Geneva-based wireless platform and semiconductor supplier, said on Friday that it is ready to roll out TD-LTE chips by the end of this year, as the company has successfully developed chipsets supporting both TD-LTE and FDD-LTE technology.

ST-Ericsson is among the very few chipset suppliers in the world that provides connectivity for multiple LTE technologies through one chipset. Qualcomm Inc and HiSilicon Technologies Co Ltd announced earlier this year that they had delivered similar products.

The launch of multi-mode LTE chipsets offers the possibility for the launch of TD-LTE handsets, including the TD-LTE version of Apple Inc's iPhone.

However, Zhang Daijun, president of ST-Ericsson China, declined to reveal whether Apple will choose ST-Ericsson's chipsets for iPhones running on TD-LTE networks.

TD-LTE technology is the Chinese home-grown 4G telecommunication standard promoted by China Mobile Ltd, the world's largest phone company by users. Xi Guohua, chairman of China Mobile, said on Wednesday that China Mobile and Apple are in talks to offer the iPhone, Bloomberg reported.

"There is no doubt that ST-Ericsson will have a good position in the LTE chipset market," said Zhang, in a Beijing interview with China Daily on Friday. The NovaThor L8540, the latest multi-mode LTE chipset produced by ST-Ericsson, is a product of competitiveness and is likely to be adopted in various LTE handsets, Zhang said.

"ST-Ericsson aims to become the world's top 3 smartphone chipset vendor by 2014, and the Chinese market will play an increasingly important role for the company," Zhang added. He said ST-Ericsson would focus on providing products for 1,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan smartphones, a sector that has the largest user base in China.