MediaTek ties with Microsoft to fend off Marvell in China
Published: 9 February, 2010
READ MORE: China | Marvell Technology | MediaTek | Microsoft | Reference Design | Semiconductor | Windows Mobile
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With Symbian still in the process of moving into open source, the near term focus for platforms pushing into emerging 3G markets is Android, with a surprising level of support for WinMo too. Not usually perceived as a low cost option because of its enterprise roots and licensing costs, the Microsoft system is winning some partners that will help push it into volume segments. LG has committed to 20-plus WinMo devices this year, while Broadcom put the OS, plus Android, at the heart of its low end mobile processor drive this week.
MediaTek will add an Android version of its reference platform soon, boosting the already strong position of the OS in China, despite the recent row between Google and the Chinese authorities over censorship. This will appear in the second half of the year, spreading the OS' influence to the scores of small vendors that serve the Chinese market, and increasingly export their products to other countries such as India. MediaTek's position among these small suppliers is unparalleled, but the vendors will only be able to upgrade their activities to target smartphones if they gain more software expertise - which is where the hardware/software reference platforms come in.
Microsoft may be an unlikely ally in this attempt to offset the big phonemakers in emerging economies, but the giants are increasingly sidelining WinMo, so the Redmond giant needs a new channel (and one with less demanding requirements than the major OEMs, which are already chafing at the bit for WinMo 7).
The company has been discussing smartphones for emerging markets for some years under the auspices of its Unlimited Potential Group. This has developed a concept called Fone+ - a midrange phone that would also serve as a PC, connecting to a TV to provide a large screen. The same group came up with the OneApp software platform for featurephones in emerging economies last year. It is very possible that such projects will find their way into the designs planned with MediaTek.
"There is a huge thirst for smartphones in emerging markets. For many people, the phone rather than the PC is the main entry point to the internet, resulting in a high demand for rich communication devices. In order to meet this demand, we have teamed up with MediaTek to facilitate the provision of affordable smartphones," said Daren Mancini, general manager for OEM Mobile at Microsoft in a statement.
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