By Telecom Lead Team: Mobile phone
major Samsung has reduced the cost of LTE chip. The new chip available at
Samsung Galaxy Nexus is estimated at nearly half the cost of the prior chip’s
$23 price tag.

 

This type of cost reduction is an
important milestone in securing the rapid migration to LTE throughout the
world.

 

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus modem is
constructed with the combination of a Via Telecom CDMA/EVDO Rev. A integrated
circuit and a Samsung LTE baseband integrated circuit. This combination is
common for Samsung’s Verizon phones, but the Galaxy Nexus sports a new version
of the LTE baseband chip, according to ABI Research.

 

The application processor found
inside the Galaxy Nexus is a TI OMAP4460. This processor runs at 1.2GHz and has
matched the performance of the prior handset performance leader (Samsung’s own
Exynos running at 1.2GHz). The OMAP4460 matched the performance and power
consumption for graphics and video test but consumed significantly more power
in computational intensive tests.

 

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus made a big
impact on the market in December due to its sleek design, new Android operating
system, and NFC capability.

 

Major Samsung Galaxy Nexus notables
include: new Samsung LTE baseband chip; NFC support, with NFC antenna embedded
in the battery; CSR GPS single chip; Broadcom Wi-Fi/BT/FM single chip; Avago
LTE PA and GPS frontend; and 1.2GHz OMAP4460 application processor .

 

Telecom businesses reach quarterly
earnings of KRW 17.82 trillion

Recently,
Samsung said its telecommunications businesses reached quarterly earnings of
KRW 17.82 trillion, up 52 percent from the previous year, with growth
mainly driven by strong sales of Samsung’s GALAXY S II and GALAXY Note.
Operating profit for the businesses also hit a record KRW 2.64 trillion
on-quarter.

 

The
telecommunications businesses including mobile communications and
telecommunication systems posted a quarterly operating profit of KRW 2.64
trillion for the period.

 

Samsung’s
GALAXY S II smartphone and its high-end mobile devices, such as the GALAXY Note
and the GALAXY Nexus, and entry-level models drove up revenue for the year by
almost 40 percent compared with the previous year. Shipments of Samsung
smartphones rose by approximately 30 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with
the previous quarter. 

 

For
the global market outlook for this year, demand for entry-level smartphones and
tablet PCs will increase significantly, while the growth momentum for feature
phones is expected to stay static.

Emerging
markets and the spread of LTE technology have also contributed to the growth of
the smartphone market, which is expected to grow by more than 30
percent. The telecommunication system business will further solidify its
leadership in the wireless network market with the expansion of the LTE service
in Korea and North America.

 

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