Epson Licenses A-GPS Receiver Technology to Renesas for SH-Mobile G3 Single-Chip LSIs in Mobile Phones

Continuing with its licensing agreements for SH-Mobile G2 technology, Seiko Epson Corporation (“Epson”) will begin offering licensing to Renesas Technology Corp. (“Renesas”) for its world-class*1 A-GPS (Assisted Global Positioning System) reception technology*2 for the SH-Mobile G3*3 single-chip LSIs used in mobile phones and portable information terminals. The new A-GPS receiver technology that Epson will license has been optimized to keep pace with the evolution of the G series, and improves the GPS functions of W-CDMA*4 mobile phones such as FOMA*5.

In the future, location-based services for mobile terminals are expected to be expanded beyond conventional “point” positional data to incorporate route information based on “line” data. This advancement shows the need for further reductions in the electrical loads of GPS receivers on mobile terminals. Epson has agreed to continue providing Renesas with licensing for future platforms developed after the G3 series, and will strive to achieve further reductions in power consumption.
Notes

* *1 Based on studies conducted by Epson.
* *2 This GPS technology was developed by Epson and eRide, Inc.
* *3 SH-Mobile G3 is a single-chip LSI for dual mode communications terminals under joint development by Renesas Technology Corp., NTT DoCoMo, Inc., Fujitsu Limited, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Sharp Corporation, and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan, Inc.
* *4 W-CDMA is a third generation (3G) mobile phone system.
* *5 FOMA is a registered trademark of NTT DoCoMo, Inc. All other company, product, and brand names mentioned are the exclusive properties of their respective owners.

About A-GPS

GPS is a satellite-based positioning system that was originally developed by the United States for military purposes. GPS was also made available to the private sector, and is now used widely for navigational support in airplanes and ships, as well as in car navigation systems. GPS receivers work by calculating positions after simultaneously receiving signals transmitted from multiple GPS satellites. However, conventional GPS receivers take several minutes to calculate a single position. Receivers using the A-GPS system, on the other hand, use signals from GPS systems collected remotely over networks such as the mobile phone network to complete positional calculations in a much shorter time. The standard requirements for this system are those established for the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project).

About Epson
Epson is a global leader in imaging products including printers, 3LCD projectors and small- and medium-sized LCDs. With an innovative and creative culture, Epson is dedicated to exceeding the vision and expectations of customers worldwide with products known for their superior quality, functionality, compactness and energy efficiency.
Epson is a network of 88,925 employees in 109 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and to the communities in which it is located. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corp., the Group had consolidated sales of 1,347 billion yen in fiscal 2007.