South Korea-based Eonex launched a phone with LG Electronics that uses one of its own core semiconductors for mobile handsets. The handset, N1000, will soon go on sale to SK Telecom subscribers. Eonex said it is also working with other domestic and foreign handset manufacturers to develop phones that could launch as early as the first half of next year. Eonex claims to be one of four companies in the world to make and sell chips that run CDMA-based mobile phones beside QUALCOMM. The other three companies are Texas Instruments, Philips of the Netherlands and VIA Telecom of Taiwan.
South Korea's mobile phone makers currently spend an estimated $2.8 billion a year purchasing similar chips from QUALCOMM. Eonex's entrance into the market is seen by many as a clear harbinger of declining market dominance for the US-based chip maker. South Korean handset makers have also recently complained about QUALCOMM's offer of cheaper royalties for Chinese OEMs.
For more on the start-up Eonex:
- check out this piece from Asia Times Online