Rich Templeton, President and CEO of TI, today told an audience of handset manufacturers and mobile service operators that “all of us have an important role to play” in helping China connect more people in its rural areas and across the country.

Speaking at a summit of wireless industry leaders, Templeton highlighted the growing opportunities for mobile phones in China and said, “For many people here, when they one day connect to the Internet for the first time, they will experience it through their mobile phones.”

Templeton also affirmed TI’s commitment to the China wireless industry. “As the world’s largest cellular phone market, China’s success is important to Texas Instruments,” he said. “And we are determined to help our customers here innovate, grow their businesses and be more competitive around the world.”

As part of that commitment, TI announced its new OMAP-Vox single-chip processor to support GSM/GPRS/EDGE standards. Code named “eCosto,” the new wireless processor combines TI’s single-chip DRP technology with the multimedia features of OMAP-Vox platform. TI designed “eCosto” to help customers in China, as well as other regions, serve the need for low-cost multimedia phones. This is TI’s second single-chip mobile phone solution. The first, called “LoCosto” and developed for GSM and GPRS standards, is in volume production, deployed with 15 low-cost handset manufacturers.

The first product in the new “eCosto” platform will be the OMAPV1035 single-chip solution, which will be manufactured in 65-nanometer (nm) and will support GSM, GPRS and EDGE standards. With the new OMAPV1035 single-chip solution, customers currently using TI’s “LoCosto” platform and OMAP-Vox processors will be able to easily expand their handset portfolio with affordable multimedia-rich handsets. As the current OMAPV1030 and new OMAPV1035 solutions share a common software platform, OMAP-Vox customers will be able to re-use their application and modem software investments for faster and more cost-effective multimedia-rich feature phone development.

The “eCosto” platform multimedia-rich capabilities include advanced video capture, playback and streaming with up to QVGA screen quality at 30 frames-per-second; digital still camera up to three megapixels with sub-second shot-to-shot delay; color LCD; and interactive 2D/3D gaming with graphics comparable to that of portable video consoles. The OMAPV1035 solution boasts high-speed hardware-accelerated Java and 3D graphic processing up to 100-K polygons-per-second. The OMAPV1035 solution is the industry’s first ARM9 fully integrated single-chip digital baseband with DSP in 65nm.

The OMAPV1035 single-chip solution will sample in first half 2007 and will be in production in 2008.

According to In-Stat, China is the world’s largest mobile phone market with 400 million subscribers, and that number is expected to increase to 600 million by 2008. This growth is coming at both the high- and low-ends of China’s handset market. China is now the fastest growing market for lower-priced mobile phones, while its young, urban consumers embrace high-end mobile phones that offer multimedia features, like cameras and MP3 players. TI is addressing the needs of these two markets today with OMAP and “LoCosto” solutions, and with the introduction of “eCosto,” the company is helping handset manufacturers serve the growing mid-tier range with cost-effective, multimedia feature phones.

“The size and diversity of China’s population,” Templeton told summit attendees, “create a consumer market that cannot be served with a ‘one size fits all’ approach. At TI, our goal is to provide our customers in China with products that help them meet the broad range of consumer needs.”

Templeton also discussed TI’s commitment to innovating and integrating for all GSM-based standards, GSM/GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA and TD-SCDMA, noting that “GSM is the leading wireless standard in the world, one that gives consumers greater choice, freedom and flexibility.” Templeton also told the audience, “GSM-based technology enables China handset manufacturers to compete more effectively around the world.”

Templeton concluded his remarks by laying out TI’s strategy. “It’s simple,” he said. “We build our business around our customers, giving them the right products and support to help make them successful. It’s the best way to ensure the growth of China’s wireless industry and to help this country reach its goal of giving more people the ability to connect with more information, more resources and with each other.”