iPhone v1 and Infineon
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
As the speculation starts on who has the 3G design win for iPhone v2, here are a few facts to keep in mind about the Infineon (IFX) chipset in v1 -
- The platform used was Infineon's MP-EU. This platform supports UMTS (3G WCDMA FDD).
- Contrary to a myth, the iPhone does not support 3G that can be enabled by a software switch. The chip used, SGOLD2-8876 is only capable of EDGE (a 2G enhancement). So, despite the platform's capability, the iPhone is limited by the chips in it.
- MP-EU has Interdigital 3G protocol stack and baseband design and the King of Prussia-based Interdigital stands to get royalty for every 3G phone using the platform.
- The 2G protocol stack is from Infineon itself but there is potentially some Interdigital IP involved in the chip+platform even without 3G. The license is retro-active to the day one of iPhone implying 2G royalty.
- The total cost of MP-EU and the 2 IFX chips in iPhone is speculated at close to $16.
We should keep these points in mind as we step through sequels to see how future iPhone sales can impact Interdigital in the context of its license deal with Apple (AAPL) and its reputation as an Infineon Ally.
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