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eRide Licenses GPS/AGPS IP to Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe for the Worldwide Mobile Handsets, Consumer Electronics, and Automotive Markets FRANKFURT, Germany & SAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)-- June 10, 2004 -- Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe (FME), a leading provider of semiconductor and solution products, and eRide, Inc., a leading provider of GPS/AGPS IP, systems integration, AGPS server and GPS reference network, today announced that FME has now a worldwide non-exclusive license of eRide GPS/AGPS IP in order to serve the rapidly growing location-based services market including mobile phones. FME is due to introduce its initial chipset product based on eRide's GPS/AGPS IP yielding sensitivities of -157 dBm in autonomous or assisted modes using any wireless air interface (GSM, UMTS, CDMA). The first chipset begins sampling in the Summer of 2004.eRide's unique GPS/AGPS IP enables smallest size, lowest power consumption, and highest sensitivity in any air interface. Proven GPS/AGPS IP is designed in such a way that, navigation software for any CPU, no real-time interrupts, no RTOS required, an AGPS server, and a deployed GPS reference network make eRide the best IP solution provider. "After feedback from our mobile and automotive customers and an exhaustive review of many GPS chipsets and GPS IP firms we realized that eRide's proven GPS/AGPS IP and systems expertise would allow FME to emerge as a leading GPS/AGPS solution provider in mobile handset and other power, size and performance critical markets," said Dirk Weinsziehr, FME, Senior Marketing Director. "Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe's history of designing high-performance system-on-chip solutions that incorporate mixed signal technology utilizing some of the world's most advanced semiconductor processes have resulted in a chipset solution which will be instrumental in bringing GPS/AGPS products to economical mass deployment," said Arthur Woo, President of eRide Inc. "Combining eRide's GPS IP with Fujitsu's low power CMOS, 0.11 micron process (CS90), along with the worldwide sales support, and logistics offered by FME sends a strong message to the world's largest handset OEMs that a low cost, high performance solution from chipset to aiding server is realizable today," added Mr. Woo. The first effort of this partnership will bring GPS baseband and GPS RF chipset providing highly accurate and sensitive autonomous and assisted GPS fixes permitting the broadest array of location based services (LBS) for wireless carriers, handset vendors, and device makers. The FME chipset achieves indoor GPS performance as well as high accuracy in urban canyons surpassing US E911 requirements while maintaining a very small memory footprint and minimal CPU load on the host processor in a no real-time interrupt single thread process. ABI Research predicts that the LBS market will reach $584 million in 2004, and grow to $4.35 billion in 2009. ABI also forecasts that personal navigation services will total $110 million in 2004, and $771 million in 2009. About eRide, Inc. eRide based in San Francisco, CA is a private company founded in 1999. eRide provides an end-to-end GPS solution including semiconductor Intellectual Property (IP), chipsets, host client software, assistance server, and GPS reference network for semiconductor companies, handset OEMs, and wireless operators based on a patented GPS/AGPS architecture. For more information visit the company's website at www.eRide-inc.com, email to [email protected] or call 415-359-9500. About Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe (FME) is a major supplier of semiconductor and display products. The company provides advanced systems solutions to the automotive, digital TV, mobile telephony, networking and industrial markets. Engineers from design centres dedicated to microcontrollers, mixed-signal, wireless, FRAM, multi-media ICs and ASIC products work closely with FME's marketing and sales teams throughout Europe to help satisfy customers' system development requirements. This solutions approach is supported by a broad range of advanced semiconductor devices, IP and building blocks as well as leading-edge LCDs and Plasma Display Panels. For more information visit Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe's website at www.fme.fujitsu.com. |
