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Recognizing the need to provide precise location capability across a wide variety of mobile devices, applications and networks, San Jose, Calif.-based GPS semiconductor supplier SiRF has readied a chipset and an IP platform to bring GPS into mainstream wireless appliances. According to SiRF, the comprehensive new location solutions will enable wireless carriers to reduce the cost and risk of offering location-based services (LBS) to consumers. Consequently, these solutions open the door to a wider variety of location-aware cell phones, smart phones, PDAs and other wireless handheld devices.

The chipset and IP platform are based on SiRF's third-generation architecture, labeled SiRFstarIII. In addition, the company has also unveiled a new SiRFSoft mobile GPS software architecture that presents a new approach to multimode GPS-enabled location technology. It is designed to deliver scalable performance cost-effectively by eliminating the need for a dedicated GPS baseband chip. Furthermore, SiRF has also introduced the SiRFLoc server platform, incorporating SiRF's patented SiRFLoc multimode technology. Deliverable through SiRF's infrastructure partners, in a carrier-class network location server, the platform supports either standards-based control plane or IP-based user plane operation.

Consumers' performance expectations in the wireless location market have become much more rigorous. To satisfy consumer expectations, response time for a location application has to be fast, and work in varied wireless environments, under difficult signal conditions — indoors and out — even if the network connection is lost altogether. Together, SiRFStarIII and SiRFSoft are designed to make real-time navigation practical where conventional GPS often fails, said SiRF.

“Wireless carriers can now deliver location technology with the high performance that consumers demand, and the price point needed for mass-market deployment,” said Kanwar Chadha, founder and vice president of marketing for SiRF. “SiRF's new architectures are designed to deliver industry-leading GPS performance optimized for mobile platforms, and enable cost-effective LBS deployment in wireless networks. Most important, our customers and carrier partners can rely on the experience of a leading GPS supplier in supporting their needs.”

SiRFstarIII architecture, with the equivalent of more than 200,000 correlators, is designed to enable fast and deep GPS signal search capabilities, resulting in superior performance over today's architectures that contain a few hundred to a few thousand correlators. The first chipset based on the SiRFstarIII architecture consists of a highly integrated baseband IC and an RF IC that together are designed to deliver a complete location engine in a small form factor. The SiRFstarIII IP core is available in a modular form for integration into high-volume wireless chipset platforms.

Based on a 0.13 micron CMOS process, the SiRFstarIII baseband chip — with its powerful GPS signal processor, on-chip memory, and a 50 MHz ARM7TDMI microprocessor — is fully capable of running many OEM user applications. Housed in a 100-pin BGA package measuring only 8 × 8 mm, the baseband chip also incorporates 4 Mbits of flash memory to support both SiRFLoc and user application programs. The SiRFstarIII RF chip is packaged in a 32-pin QFN, and can support multiple reference frequencies to reduce costs. In addition to the chipset, SiRFstarIII is also available in IP form for integration into high-volume wireless chipset platforms.

For additional information, visit www.sirf.com.