Nokia and ST-Ericsson in smartphone platform alliance

In an attempt to set the agenda for the next generation of smartphones to offer PC-like web-browsing, Nokia and ST-Ericsson have joined together to provide the newly-formed Symbian Foundation with a reference platform based on the ST-Ericsson U8500 chip. This new device combines ST-Ericsson's Nomadik application processor and a HSDPA release 7 modem, and is the first device said to enable High-Definition 1080 progressive-scan camcorder functions.

Nokia, which only last week signed a chipset agreement with Qualcomm, has also announced an extension to its pact with Broadcom to include basebands for 3G; Broadcom is already a major baseband supplier for 2G handsets.

Rumours are also circulating that Nokia is planning to enter the 3.5G data card market very soon. Huawei and ZTE are currently the two leading vendors, with 2008 shipments of 20 million and 10 million units respectively. The market is expected to exceed 50 million units this year.

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