RFMD and Skyworks extend Samsung penetration
Leading GaAs device manufacturers RF Micro Devices and Skyworks Solutions have both claimed design wins in handsets made by the Korean electronics giant Samsung.
RFMD says that it is now shipping power amplifier (PA) modules designed for phones using the code-division multiple access (CDMA) protocol to the third-ranked cell-phone supplier.
Although the Greensboro, NC, chipmaker has already delivered over 100 million RF components to the Korean company, this latest design win marks the first shipments of its CDMA PAs to Samsung.
Meanwhile, RFMD's leading rival in the GaAs IC industry, Skyworks Solutions, will see its Helios RF product for EDGE applications designed into a new range of high-end Samsung handsets.
According to Skyworks, which is based in Woburn, MA, Samsung will use the two-chip subsystem in "a number of bandwidth-intensive, advanced multimedia platforms".
These advanced handsets are set to be introduced next year.
In a recent market analysis of 2004 cell-phone sales published by Gartner, Samsung was said to have a global market share of 12.6% by units sold to end users, equivalent to around 85 million phones.
