US-based Texas Instruments, the largest manufacturer of mobile phone chipsets, will set up a new research and development centre at Chennai.
The new plant would be in close proximity to manufacturing plants of major customers of the company including Nokia and Motorola.
The new centre will focus on technologies across Texas Instruments' portfolio. Texas Instruments already has a R&D centre at Bangalore since 1985.
"The company has been committed to India for over 20 years. We are escalating our existing wireless design presence in recognition of the importance of India to the global wireless market," Gilles Delfassy, senior vice-president, wireless terminal business unit, TI, said.
Delfassy also said that a single chip based on a new platform, which can replace the three chips in mobile phones, will hit the market later this year.
This will reduce the chipset cost in a mobile phone by about 60 per cent. Five companies will manufacture low-cost handsets using the single chip and also increase battery life, he added.
"Our dream of entry-level phone of good international standard below Rs 1,000 ($20) is a reality today," Dayanidhi Maran, minister for IT and communications, told mediapersons.
Maran said the low-cost handset augurs well with government's focus on rural areas where the teledensity is around 2.2 against 14 in cities, in its goal to reach mobile connections to 500 million by 2010.Do you want to discuss stock tips? Do you know a hot one? Join the Stock Market Investments Discussion Group
