NTT DoCoMo and Renesas are jointly developing an LSI chip that combines W-CDMA and GSM dual-mode communication capabilities with an SH-Mobile application processor function. This device will facilitate the global rollout of the FOMA service now hugely popular in Japan. The collaboration results in part from NTT DoCoMo's high regard for the application processor technology in SH-Mobile devices and the successful track record these Renesas chips have compiled. They’re the de facto standard for application processors, being used in handsets around the world.

The new solutions expected to flow from NTT DoCoMo's relationship with Renesas and its other international strategic partnerships are expected to drive a paradigm shift, whereby future mobile phones transition from telephones to a multi-purpose devices. Application processors that can run multimedia content such as video and audio at high speed will allow the mass production of affordable mobile phones that deliver exciting and innovative entertainment and information services anywhere on the planet.

In this issue of Edge magazine, we focus on the mobile solutions Renesas offers, advanced semiconductor devices centered around the SH-Mobile product line. Our feature article is a conversation between Kiyoto Nagata who controls terminal development at NTT DoCoMo and Ikuya Kawasaki who manages our SH-Mobile business. As in previous issues, our coverage describes trends and advances that will accelerate the global spread and adoption of the ubiquitous networked society.