Altair Semiconductor to Provide Power Efficient Chipsets to WILLCOM Inc. for Next
Generation PHS Technology
HOD HASHARON, May 27 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
Altair Semiconductor (Altair), a fabless chip company developing the world's most advanced 4G
mobile semiconductors for handheld devices, today announced it has been selected to supply the
chipsets for wireless devices operating on WILLCOM Inc.'s (WILLCOM) next generation Personal
Handyphone System ("XG-PHS") in Japan.
WILLCOM, Japan's largest PHS technology operator, chose Altair after an extensive evaluation
of chipset solutions from semiconductor suppliers around the world. Under the terms of the
agreement between the two companies, Altair will supply its ALTx150 series ultra-low power and
high performance chipsets to WILLCOM's authorized ecosystem of mobile handset and handheld
device manufacturers.
"WILLCOM is the pioneer of PHS deployment in Japan and has an extraordinary track record for
pushing the envelope on performance and service quality," said Oded Melmed, CEO and a co-
founder of Altair. "WILLCOM's selection of Altair's chipset validates our development of highly
flexible and power-efficient processors that allow us to address different 4G markets and
technologies with a single semiconductor platform. We felt a relationship with WILLCOM would be
highly strategic in the early stages of our initial feasibility study, conducted with Harel-Hertz
Investment House, who we also worked with through the project negotiations."
WILLCOM, one of only two licensees of 2.5GHz mobile broadband spectrum in Japan, will
deploy its next generation PHS network using orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing access
(OFDMA) technology that is architected to achieve higher capacity and lower cost per bit compared
to traditional 3 and 3.5G cellular technologies.
"In order to reach our goal to offer the highest capacity and best performing wireless network in
the world, we needed to equip our device manufacturers with a flexible, low-power consumption
chipset," said Yoshioki Chika, executive vice president of WILLCOM. "Altair's world-class multi-
mode 4G chipset portfolio, and its underlying O2P processor architecture, which is capable of
supporting a wide range of OFDMA standards, allow us to benefit from high volume pricing and field
proven semiconductors. It is the perfect fit for our needs."
About Altair Semiconductor
Altair is the world's leading developer of ultra-low power, small footprint and high performance
mobile semiconductors that take broadband bandwidth beyond notebooks and USB adaptors to un-
tethered, battery-operated handheld devices. The company's products provide handheld device
manufacturers with a highly power-optimized, robust and cost-effective solution. Altair is privately
held and has raised a total of $26M in two rounds of financing. For more information, visit
Altair's XG-PHS chipset for Willcom will be distributed through its agent in Japan, Internix Inc. For
altair@internix.co.jp.
About WILLCOM, Inc.
WILLCOM, Inc. is a leading mobile data telecommunications company, providing PHS services in
Japan. In addition to data telecommunications, WILLCOM introduced the "WILLCOM Flat-Rate
Plan" in May 2005, the industry's first fixed-rate voice communication service. WILLCOM has also
introduced a series of other new services to the market, and currently has more than 4.60 million
cumulative subscribers (as of April 2008). For more information (available in English and
Media Contacts:
Todd Barrish / Amanda Lordy
Dukas Public Relations
212-704-7385
Todd@dukaspr.com / Amanda@dukaspr.com
Reader Contact Information
Ha'harash Street, P.O Box 7158, Hod Hasharon 45240 Israel
Tel: +972-9-7403045, Fax: +972-9-7403049
info@altair-semi.com
SOURCE: Altair Semiconductor
CONTACT: Todd Barrish, Todd@dukaspr.com, or
Amanda Lordy, Amanda@dukaspr.com,
both of Dukas Public Relations, +1-212-704-7385, for
Altair Semiconductor/
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