Analog Devices announced the availability of its second-generation chipset for developers of advanced multimedia mobile handsets based on the 3G TD-SCDMA Low Chip Rate (LCR) air interface.

The new SoftFone-LCR+ chipset expands Analog Devices’ portfolio of TD-SCDMA technology solutions and builds upon the company’s legacy as a leader in TD-SCDMA technology development by adding support for a wide range of enhanced multimedia functions.

Analog Devices became the first company to offer a complete TD-SCDMA chipset from a single supplier and the company’s SoftFone chipsets have been an integral part of network trials held by wireless operators in China over the past three years, most recently achieving dual-mode operation and completing file transfers on a 384 kbps data connection with its SoftFone-LCR+ chipset.

The TD-SCDMA (Time-Division – Synchronous Code-Division Multiple Access) standard was proposed by the China Wireless Telecommunication Standards group (CWTS) and approved by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) as the low-chip-rate TDD standard of the 3G standard family. Trial TD-SCDMA networks and 3G services are now established in various cities in China and based on recent reports, the TD-SCDMA network will grow within five years to over 40 million subscribers.

With the addition of the SoftFone-LCR+ chipset to its 3G product portfolio, TD-SCDMA handset manufacturers have the option to choose between a single platform for either voice-centric or cutting-edge multimedia capable handsets. The SoftFone-LCR+ chipset provides support for enhanced multimedia functions such as 3 megapixel cameras, USB, multi-format audio encode/decode, advanced video capture and playback, and stereo audio codecs. The chipset supports: MPEG4, H.263 and H.264 for screen sizes up to QVGA; stereo audio codecs: MP3, AAC+, WMA and others. The chipset also supports full “boot from NAND” capability. It enables dual-mode TD-SCDMA/GPRS operation.