Out in Front: August 1, 1996

Companies that want to develop Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) cellular phones but lack the resources to develop the necessary ICs and software can now use an off-the-shelf chip set and software as the core of their designs. The first complete type-approved phone using third-party ICs and software is available from Hagenuk GmbH (Kiel, Germany). Using a trio of ICs from Analog Devices Inc and software from The Technology Partnership (Cambridge, UK), the phone meets the exhaustive hardware, software, acoustic, and functionality requirements of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). All GSM handsets must meet these requirements before sale.

The AD20msp410 chip set comprises the ADSP-2178 algorithm-signal processor, the ADPLP01 physical-layer processor, and the AD7015 baseband converter. The software implements layers 1, 2, and 3 of the Phase I GSM standard, including many keyboard, display, protocol, and architecture functions. The set also includes many of the Phase II features, but these features are disabled, awaiting development of suitable type-approval test equipment. Because these ICs and the software are available to independent phone designers by direct sale and license agreement, entry into the GSM-handset market is no longer the sole realm of designers who can develop and debug their own mixed-signal ICs plus approximately 150,000 lines of code.

The ICs operate from a 2.7V supply, and the 150g Hagenuk phone based on the chip set provides approximately 40 hours of standby operation from a 450- to 600-mAhr nickel-metal-hydride battery. Price of the chip set and software is approximately $50 (OEM).

—by Bill Schweber

Analog Devices Inc. Norwood, MA. (617) 937-1428, http://www.analog.com.