“TD-SCDMA Forum Expert on Line No.13” was held on 21st.Dec.2004. For this time our VIP was Mr. Li Zemin, Senior manager from ADI Asia Wireless Design Center.

Mr. Li got his master degree from Xidian University in 1996. As the senior manager of ADI Asia Design Center, he takes charges of system design and technical support of ADI wireless terminal chip set solution (2G to 3G): reference design for Asia area, development strategy definition, technical support and projects implementation for key accounts.

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Q&A on Line:

1. About ADI
Q: Would you please introduce ADI TD-SCDMA project?
A: ADI is a traditional chip designer and solution provider. Its TD-SCDMA project mainly includes chip design and IC solution.

Q: What’re the main responsibilities of ADI Wireless Design Center?
A: Our main functions are solution design and technical support for ADI wireless terminal (2G to 3G), such as reference design for Asia area, development strategy definition, technical support and projects implementation for key accounts.

Q: How ADI to balance the project investment between TD-SCDMA and WCDMA?
A: Both TD-SCDMA and WCDMA are very important 3G standards for ADI 3G strategy. For China market, TD-SCDMA has a higher priority within ADI.

Q: How many R&D engineers are focusing on TD-SCDMA project in ADI China?
A: Currently there are more than ten SW and HW engineers in China. We’re doing debugging and testing with Datang Mobile. Meanwhile we’ll recruit more engineers in our ShangHai Design Center to guarantee the time schedule of this TD-SCDMA project.

Q: Are there any dedicated TD-SCDMA R&D engineer in China? It is said ADI TD-SCDMA chip is developed in America.
A: IC R&D locates in North America. Development & testing of application, lower layers software are done in China. Design of mobile phone also is done in China.

Q: Compared with the ASIC solutions from T3G, COMMIT and Spreadtrum, what advantages does ADI solution has?
A: First, ADI solution has higher reliability and stability because it based on commercial EDGE platform. Second, ADI platform is a total solution including both digital baseband and RF parts. In ADI solution there are enough resources on the hardware platform for multiple-mode operation.

Q: What’s the severest difficulty for ADI TD-SCDMA project?
A: It is testing aspect. We think Datang can help us to resolve this problem.

Q: Compared with T3G, COMMIT, Spreadtrum etc, ADI has less advertisement for its TD-SCDMA product, why?
A: ADI is a technology-oriented company. Wide advertisement is not our style. Customers evaluations can be our sounding board.

Q: Among all the competitors, which is the strongest?
A: We seldom comment on competitors. What we do is to assure ourselves can do best.

2. R&D Status

Q: As the first one, T3G has achieved first TD-SCDMA call based on its ASIC solution. Can ADI do this as second one?
A: Voice call is only the first step to realize full commercial mobile phone functions. The most complex is the convergence, testing of mobile service and data services. ADI can realize voice call also. We pay more attention to commercial products.

Q: How about the roadmap of ADI solution?
A: First, ADI can provide sample IC to customer in January of 2005. Terminal based on ADI solution will be available in June or July of 2005. Second, currently we have a close cooperation with Datang Mobile focusing on protocol stack software.

Q: How many passes your ASIC have been going?
A: In IC testing procedure, ADI TD-SCDMA chip set has finished engineering level testing. The result is very good. Now Datang Mobile is testing its application software based our chip set.

Q: From public news, we know ADI TD-SCDMA solution is mature enough for commercial usage. When the sample IC can be available?
A: Sample IC for customer will be available in January of 2005.

Q: How about the functions of next January’s IC?
A: It can support voice and 128kbps data services.

Q: Is the next January’s IC based on DSP or ASIC?
A: It is an ASIC platform.

Q: Is Blackfin integrated within the next January’s ASIC (Monaco-LCR)?
A: Yes! Our first generation IC will use Blackfin.

Q: When the prototype terminal based on ADI TD-SCDMA ASIC will be available?
A: Next February.

Q: When ADI TD-SCDMA can be manufactured in large quantity (including RF and ABB)?
A: It should be middle of next year.

Q: Does ADI plan to develop chip set for dual-mode terminal? If yes, when dual-mode solution will be launched?
A: The first ADI TD-SCDMA chip is single-mode. Surely ADI has plan to develop dual-mode or multiple-mode terminal. In the middle of next year, we’ll launch our first dual-mode terminal solution. It will be compatible with GPRS standard.

Q: When single-mode and dual-mode solutions can be provided to terminal supplier respectively?
A: For single-mode solution it is 1stQ of next year. For dual-mode solution it is 4thQ of next year.

Q: Can ADI baseband chip support dual-mode simultaneously? Or two chips have to be used for GSM and TD-SCDMA separately?
A: In the middle of next year, one ADI chip set can support both GSM and TD-SCDMA simultaneously.

Q: Can Datang’s protocol stack software support dual-mode?
A: Yes!

Q: Does ADI plan to join TD-SCDMA dedicated testing? How to do this? Who are partners?
A: We plan to join TD-SCDMA dedicated testing. We will use Datang’s testing environment or other customers’ resource to achieve this.

Q: Has ADI solution joined the field testing?
A: So far ADI solution has not joined the field testing. We plan to join field testing with our prototype terminal in the February or March of next year. The core algorithm on the chip set has been verified within Datang’s TD-SCDMA terminal testing.

Q: Is ADI DSP used in Datang’s solution?
A: Yes!

Q: Is the next January’s IC based on DSP or ASIC?
A: It is an ASIC platform. DSP core is integrated in this platform.

Q: Has protocol stack development been finished? Is it done by SDL?
A: Protocol stack development has been finished. Now debugging and testing are ongoing. I’m not sure that whether the protocol stack was developed via SDL. Datang can give you the correct answer.

Q: What are the differences between SoftFone-W and SoftFone-LCR?
A: Both SoftFone-W and SoftFone-LCR have the same RF chip and different digital and analogue baseband. SoftFone-W can be downward compatible with SoftFone-LCR which means we can realize tri-mode on it.

Q: Is Turbo Code used in ADI solution?
A: Yes! Turbo Code is used to support TDD data services.

Q: How about audio and video application support in ADI TD-SCDMA platform?
A: For audio aspect, we can support MP3, FM radio etc. For video aspect, we can support MPEG4, MJPEG etc.

Q: How about the power consumption of ADI TD-SCDMA chip set?
A: It can be comparable with ADI EGPRS solution.

Q: Does ADI TD-SCDMA solution plan to support HSDPA? If yes, when?
A: We do have the plan to support HSDPA on ADI hardware development. The time to support HSDPA should depend on the marketing requirement. So far it is not fixed.

Q: What’s your estimation of your BOM cost?
A: Regarding the total BOM of ADI TD-SCDMA solution, it should be close to that of EGPRS solution. In fact BOM is related with exact terminal design requirement, such as the size of memory and monitor etc.

3. Industry Cooperation

Q: How about the cooperation between Datang and ADI on TD-SCDMA project?
A: ADI provides IC solution and Datang provides software solution. ADI and Datang declared their strategic partner relationship on TD-SCDMA terminal in this November. As I know, ADI is the first formal cooperation partner of Datang on TD-SCDMA terminal.

Q: In future who will provide TD-SCDMA solution to terminal suppliers, Datang or ADI?
A: In the first phase, we’ll adopt Datang’s TD-SCDMA terminal solution.

Q: Does RTX now still use ADI solution? Is RTX’s protocol stack also from Datang?
A: Now RTX is not one of ADI’s main software cooperation partners any more. Whether RTX adopt Datang’s software, it depends on its own decision.

Q: Does ADI solution get Datang’s IPR admission?
A: The cooperation between ADI and Datang has very wide range. ADI’s first generation chip will not involve much TDD-IPR.

Q: ADI provides hardware while Datang provides software. Who will take charge of technical support services? How to balance this?
A: Datang and ADI will provide technical support on software and IC separately. The cooperation depends on the exact requirements from customers.

Q: Do you have confidence to Datang’s protocol stack software? Why ADI gave up the cooperation with RTX and SASKEN?
A: Datang is one of main owners of TD-SCDMA IPRs. Now Datang has a perfect testing environment. We have enough confidence to Datang’s product. The cooperation between different enterprises is very popular. Whether the cooperation is necessary depends on marketing requirements.

Q: Datang has no enough successful experience on commercial mobile phone. Why ADI chooses Datang as cooperation partner?
A: Datang is the only one who owns TD-SCDMA key technology and testing environment.

Q: Regarding terminal suppliers, who are ADI’s partners?
A: So far, our partners are from home and abroad. I can’t publicize the name list because of project R&D status. You can get your answer from next year’s TD-SCDMA prototype mobile phones.

Q: Besides Datang, does ADI is considering other partners?
A: No!

Q: Is there some cooperation between Lenovo and ADI?
A: We are doing some technical communications on TD-SCDMA topic.

Q: It is reported by some news that Taiwan Quanta is developing TD-SCDMA mobile phone which will be launched to China mainland in 2005. Quanta said this TD-SCDMA project was based on ADI’s platform. Is it true?
A: Yes. Quanta is one of ADI’s strategic partners. We’ll support all Quanta’s 3G projects including TD-SCDMA.

Q: Is there some cooperation between ADI and Siemens?
A: We ever did and hope some new long-term & all-round cooperation in future.

Q: Does ADI have some relation with MCCI?
A: No!

Q: Is ADI’s WCDMA solution from TTPCOM?
A: The cooperation with TTPCOM has lasted for years including GSM, GPRS, EDGE and WCDMA.

4. Industry Prospect

Q: What’s the hardest obstacle for TD-SCDMA commercialization?
A: It should be technical problems, especially testing and final application design aspects.

Q: If TD-SDMA system equipments can’t get breakthrough, only terminal chip set is useless. Do you think so?
A: System equipment and terminal are supplements of each other. Besides Datang, ZTE, Huawei and Alcatel all involve TD-SCDMA system equipment R&D activities.

Q: How to resolve IOT problem of different chips in such a short time?
A: In fact IOT issue is not so urgent. What we should do first is we need some different solutions to verify TD-SCDMA maturity and reliability.

Q: From ADI point of view, does TD-SCDMA have any advantages over WCDMA?
A: From technology and standards aspects, TDD and FDD are complementary to each other. It is difficult to say which is better. The key point is how to use both of them and how to realize mobile data services?

Q: What are the differences between LCR and WCDMA? Only air interface and L3 signaling?
A: The main difference is physical layer. Accordingly there are some difference on air interface and L3 signaling.

Q: Regarding multi-mode terminal, can subscriber feel the handover procedure is ongoing?
A: Standby and handover are the most important functions for multiple-mode terminal.

Q: Have you realized above the most important functions?
A: Multi-mode handover is not terminal own issue. It relates to some other aspects such as network and service etc.

Q: How to realize the roaming between TD-SCDMA and WCDMA/CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA and 2G?
A: From terminal design point of view, we have corresponding HW and SW solution. Carriers and system suppliers should pay more attention to roaming issue.

Q: Would you please clarify more about the difficulties for multiple-mode?
A: Multi-mode standby relies on multiple clocks parallel running. To guarantee connection to different base stations, all of them should synchronize and not disturb the others. To achieve this it is difficult on single chip. On the other hand additional software has to be added for management and control. From terminal point of view, we have to resolve some problems to support multi-mode operation.

Q: Now WCDMA can support HSDPA function. Do you think TD-SCDMA’s 128kbps have enough competitive power?
A: Which date rate is supported depends on terminal marketing position, not the higher the better.

Q: From subscriber point of view, what are the key performance indicators to decide the terminal solution is mature or not? Regarding this point, what’s ADI’s idea?
A: This issue relates to all the aspects of terminal R&D activity. The most important is whether SW & HW design can meet customer requirements. Standard testing methodology is also necessary.

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