NTT DoCoMo, Renesas, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, Sharp, and Sony Ericsson today announced that they plan to jointly develop a next-generation mobile phone platform based on the SH-Mobile G3, a single-chip system solution for mobile devices. The platform will include software for basic operations and an advanced OS (such as Symbian). In addition to the Japanese market Renesas also plans to make the platform available to the worldwide WCDMA market.

The new platform will be based on the SH-Mobile G3, a single-chip system LSI which implements a baseband processor supporting HSDPA cat. 8 / W-CDMA and GSM/GPRS/EDGE communications and an application processor with high-end multimedia functions, together with a reference design integrating audio, power supply, and RF front-end modules. The platform will also include common software for basic functions, including a sophisticated operating system such as Symbian, device drivers, middleware, and communication software.

This follows on from the previous two generations of the sofware platform. The first was the SH-Mobile G1 chip which is currenlty being mass produced and is used in a number of NTT DoCoMo Phones (starting from autumn 2006). The second based on the SH-Mobile G2 chip is being used in devices currently under development and that should be available in the autumn of this year. Both of these were single chip platforms, this is where the baseband processor (cellular radio processor) and application processor (software processor) were combined into a single chip.

In the context of the Japanese market this can best be described as the next generation of the MOAP-S software platform. However Renesas also plan to roll out the platform to the worldwide WCDMA market in the hope of reducing development costs further. The first two versions of the platform were used only in Japan.

The next generation platform aims to reduce development costs and reduce time to market. Symbian is the de facto choice of OS as it is essentially the only OS that meets the required specifications thanks to its advanced kernel. 

Ikuya Kawasaki, deputy general manager of system solutions business unit 2 at Renesas Technology, remarks as follows: "I am extremely pleased that six companies will be jointly developing a mobile phone platform with the SH-Mobile G3 as its core. We look forward to rolling out this platform in the W-CDMA market worldwide."

Haruhiko Hisa, president of Symbian Japan, which developed one of the standard operating systems, comments: "Symbian welcomes a mobile phone platform with the SH-Mobile G3 as its core and its potential to enable development of highly functional and low-cost 3G mobile phones, while shortening development times." 

You can read further details in the press release here.