想成为LTE市场王者，得看中国移动脸色行事

我们都知道，手机基带芯片市场曾经历过一场波及众多供货商的血腥商业战；而不只我一个人曾经想过，也许刚起步的 LTE市场会仅剩少数几家手机芯片供应商幸存，扮演死神角色的则是中国移动(China Mobile)。 到目前为止，德州仪器(TI)是唯一放弃LTE市场生存机会的智能手机芯片供货商；该公司最近宣布裁员1,700人，并重申将其OMAP处理器产品线应用焦点由智能手机转向他处的意图。高通(Qualcomm)则持续称霸智能手机基带芯片市场，其地位看来也不会因为LTE时代的即将到来而有所改变。 高通屹立不摇的霸主地位并没有让联发科(MediaTek)、Marvell、展讯(Spreadtrum)、ST-Ericsson与Renesas Mobile等其它芯片供货商放弃LTE市场；其中有不少业者都提出了将发表多模、多频芯片，能向后兼容旧有基带系统之解决方案的计划。 事实上，准备进军LTE基带芯片市场的供货商不但没有减少，反而有增加的趋势。 一家日本手机芯片合资公司Access Network Technology不久前透露将推出第一款LTE基带芯片的计划，并将内建于预定2013年夏天上市的富士通(Fujitsu) 智能手机中。这家合资公司是在今年8月成立，股东包括富士通(持股比例52.8%)、NTT Docomo (持股比例19.9%)、NEC (持股比例17.8%)以及富士通半导体(Fujitsu Semiconductor，持股比例9.5%)。 这是曾经结束、又重新开始的，由NTT Docomo 所领军的手机芯片合作案后续，初始成员还包括松下(Panasonic)与三星(Samsung)，但该合作案在去年春天因股东们无法针对合资企业细节达成共识而一度破局。 根据富士通的发言人表示，合资企业所开发的基带芯片，整合了支持LTE、W-CDMA以及中国移动TD-LTE标准的调制解调器，其功耗比竞争产品低30%。 当然，并非每一种“LTE解决方案”都是相同的。依据每家竞争对手的原有调制解调器业务，他们对旧有调制解调器的支持程度也会不同；举例来说，身为TD-SCDMA调制解调器芯片领导厂商的展讯，还是会继续发展自家的WCDMA解决方案。 当富士通被问到新合资公司推出的新型芯片，是否会支持TD-SCDMA标准时，该公司的响应是：“目前这一代我们已经开发完成的芯片不会；”但是他们又补充表示：“与全球标准互通是我们的目标。” 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 本文下一页：想取得中国移动TD-LTE设计案订单应该怎么做？

相关阅读：
• LTE终端市场上扬，测试设备面临新需求
• 弃用高通基带芯片，三星与苹果之平台战启幕
• TD终端明年销量超1亿，Marvell公布多模芯片演进路线MSbesmc

{pagination} 对任何一家想取得中国移动TD-LTE设计案的芯片业者来说，支持TD-SCDMA可说是必要条件；中国移动所需要的TD-LTE解决方案，一定都得具备能真正支持多标准、多频段的能力。而这也再一次说明了高通是如何积极地想在市场竞争中胜出，因为该公司已经准备好推出 TD-SCDMA/TD-LTE参考设计。 市场研究机构Forward Concepts总经理Will Strauss在最近的一篇部落格文章中指出：“高通的目标是藉由TD-SCDMA/TD-LTE解决方案成为第一家符合中国移动长期计划的供货商，该解决方案也将成为高通的第三代QRD (Qualcomm Reference Design)。” Strauss表示，高通的QRD解决方案将会是由Snapdragon S4搭配MSM8930平台，以其Krait架构为基础的双核心处理器，支持UMTS、CDMA、TC-SCDMA，以及TD-/FDD-LTE，能提供支持所有中国移动通信业者的解决方案。 在2013年第一季左右，我们就会看到LTE基带芯片大战正式展开，而且不只是以产品发表会的演示文稿形式呈现，而是真正在商业化量产市场开打。 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译：Judith Cheng 参考英文原文：Yoshida in China: Key to LTE winners is China Mobile，by Junko Yoshida

相关阅读：
• LTE终端市场上扬，测试设备面临新需求
• 弃用高通基带芯片，三星与苹果之平台战启幕
• TD终端明年销量超1亿，Marvell公布多模芯片演进路线MSbesmc

{pagination} Yoshida in China: Key to LTE winners is China Mobile Junko Yoshida Qualcomm’s decisive lead hasn’t stopped companies like MediaTek, Marvell and Spreadtrum from going after the LTE market as the "Qualcomm alternative." PARIS – We all know that the baseband chip market for mobile handsets has been a bloody business fought among too many vendors. I'm not alone in wondering if the budding LTE market might thin the ranks with just a few mobile chip players left standing. China Mobile might turn out to be the grim reaper. So far, only Texas Instruments among current smartphone chip suppliers has given up hope of surviving in the LTE market. TI recently announced a plan to cut about 1,700 jobs, and reiterated its intention to shift the focus of its OMAP product line away from smartphones. Qualcomm continues to dominate the smartphone baseband market, and it’s dominance is not likely to change in the coming LTE world. That hasn’t stopped companies such as MediaTek, Marvell, Spreadtrum, ST-Ericsson and Renesas Mobile from going after the LTE market as the “Qualcomm alternative.” Many have described big plans to launch multi-mode, multi-frequency chips that are backward-compatible with the legacy baseband systems. Indeed, the list of chip companies gunning for the LTE baseband business appears to be increasing, not shrinking. A Japanese mobile chip joint venture called Access Network Technology last week tipped plans for the company’s first LTE baseband chip, scheduled to be designed into Fujitsu’s smartphone handsets by the summer 2013. The Japanese joint venture, founded in August, consists of Fujitsu (52.8 percent), NTT Docomo (19.9 percent), NEC (17.8 percent) and Fujitsu Semiconductor (9.5 percent). This is an offshoot of an off-again, on-again NTT Docomo-led mobile chip venture. Original members included Panasonic and Samsung, but the deal was cancelled last spring when stakeholders disagreed on the details of the joint venture. According to a Fujitsu spokesman, the JV's baseband chip is integrated with LTE, W-CDMA and China Mobile’s TD-LTE modems. The company claims power consumption in the new modem chip will be lower than competitors’ products by as much as 30 percent. Of course, not every so-called “LTE solution” is the same. China Mobile calls the shots Depending on the heritage of each competitor’s modem business, the degree of support for legacy modems differ. For example, Spreadtrum, a leading TD-SCDMA modem chip supplier, is still working on its own WCDMA solution. I asked Fujitsu if the new chip from the mobile joint venture will support TD-SCDMA. She responded, “No, not in the current generation chip we’ve just finished.” She added, however: “being compatible with global standards is our goal.” For any chip company looking for a TD-LTE design win with China Mobile, support for TD-SCDMA is a must. China Mobile demands that every TD-LTE solution must offer true multi-standard, multi-frequency capability. Once again, that’s precisly how Qualcomm is goingto win the battle since it is p to offer a TD-SCDMA/TD-LTE reference design. As Will Strauss, president of Forward Concepts, noted in his recent blog, “Qualcomm aims to be the first with a TD-SCDMA/TD-LTE solution which fits like a glove with China Mobile’s long-term plan. This will be the company’s third generation Qualcomm Reference Design (QRD).” Strauss said Qualcomm’s QRD solution will be a Snapdragon S4 plus MSM8930 platform featuring a dual-core processor based on its Krait architecture. It will support UMTS, CDMA, TC-SCDMA, TD- and FDD-LTE, providing solutions that can help all operators in China. Around the first quarter of 2013, we’ll see the LTE baseband race begin in earnest. It will be fought not with power point presentations, but in the commercial, volume market.