Press Releases

ACCESS China and NEC Electronics Develop Smartphone Reference Design

BEIJING, China and KAWASAKI, Japan, – February 10, 2009 – ACCESS China Inc., a subsidiary of ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile and beyond-PC markets, and NEC Electronics Corporation, a leading provider of semiconductor solutions, today announced that they have jointly developed a reference design for smartphones. This solution is compliant with the CDMA2000 1x mobile telecommunications standard and based on ACCESS Linux Platform^™ mini, developed for price-sensitive and emerging markets, and NEC Electronics’ MP201 application processor.

This reference design supports 2.5G/2.75G/3G mobile wireless technologies, as well as touch-panel access to a wide array of functions including web browsing. It also includes a complete set of development tools to enable mobile phone vendors, handset manufacturers and design houses to achieve faster time-to-market.

“ACCESS China is a leader in advanced mobile software technologies with strong technical expertise and an established track record of providing support for major operators,” said Katsu Itagaki, general manager, SoC Systems Division, NEC Electronics. “We are excited to have the opportunity to work together and benefit from ACCESS China’s experience.”

“This reference design combines NEC Electronics’ leading technologies and rich experience in application processors with ACCESS’ advanced software technologies,” said Pierre Suhandinata, Chairman and CEO of ACCESS China Inc. “With its rich entertainment and strong web browsing functionality, we believe this reference design will further enable manufacturers to deliver highly differentiated products in today’s demanding mobile market.”

Handset manufacturers, parts suppliers and software vendors are aggressively targeting the Asia Pacific markets (excluding Japan), which account for the majority of growth among mobile subscribers worldwide and still have strong demand potential. Handset shipments in this market are expected to grow at 7.7% CAGR over the next four years, from nearly 418 million units in 2008 to more than 530 million in 2012 (source: IDC, December 2008).

ACCESS has a proven track record of delivering industry-leading software solutions for the mobile industry. ACCESS Linux Platform mini is based on a proven, complete Linux platform solution that has been shipping since 2005. NEC Electronics has launched numerous products for a wide array of mobile devices, including mobile phones and portable audio players. This reference design is the result of the two companies’ collaboration, and leverages NEC Electronics’ expertise in low-power technology and ACCESS China’s experience in providing turnkey solutions based on its advanced mobile Linux^® platform solution.

NEC Electronics and ACCESS China will work together to promote this reference design and will explore additional opportunities to provide joint solutions based on NEC Electronics’ EMMA Mobile^™ 1 application processor.

About ACCESS Linux Platform mini
ACCESS Linux Platform mini is a compact, commercial-grade Linux platform designed for cost-efficient mobile and next generation Internet-enabled devices with resource-constrained requirements. ACCESS Linux Platform mini is a scalable and customizable platform with a comprehensive application suite that is market-ready and widely deployed in devices ranging from low-end smartphones to Internet-enabled, beyond-PC devices, including portable navigation devices, portable media players and set-top boxes. As the newest member of the ACCESS family of mobile Linux platform solutions, ACCESS Linux Platform mini delivers a comprehensive, yet compact Linux platform for mobile and beyond-PC devices.

About NEC Electronics’ MP201 application processor
The MP201 is the ideal application processor for high-performance portable devices with a built-in rich interface. It utilizes low power consumption and offers single-package integration of video and audio processing functions required for portable devices, enabling miniaturization of portable devices. Not only does the MP201 ease the workload of portable device developers, it also helps end users enjoy a richer AV listening and viewing experience.

About ACCESS and ACCESS China
ACCESS CO., LTD. (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 4813) is a global company providing leading technology, software products and platforms for web browsing, mobile phones, wireless handhelds and other networked devices. ACCESS’ product portfolio, including its NF browser, Garnet^™ OS and the ACCESS Linux Platform provide customers with solutions that enable faster time-to-market, flexibility and customizability. The company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operates subsidiaries and affiliates within Asia, Europe and the United States. ACCESS China Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACCESS CO., LTD., was established in July 2002 in Beijing as a total solution provider for mobile Internet and beyond PC markets, with a focus on providing an improved, easy-to-use end-user experience. ACCESS China has over 500 employees.
For more information about ACCESS, please visit www.access-company.com.

About NEC Electronics
NEC Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) specializes in semiconductor products encompassing advanced technology solutions for the high-end computing and broadband networking markets; system solutions for the mobile handset, PC peripheral, automotive and digital consumer markets; and multi-market solutions for a wide range of customer applications. NEC Electronics Corporation has subsidiaries worldwide including NEC Electronics America, Inc. and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH. More information about NEC Electronics worldwide can be found at www.necel.com.

© 2009 ACCESS CO., LTD. All rights reserved.
ACCESS, NetFront^™, ACCESS Linux Platform and Garnet are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACCESS CO., LTD. in the United States, Japan and other countries.
EMMA Mobile is a trademark of NEC Electronics Corporation in China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
The registered trademark LINUX^® is used pursuant to a sublicense from Linux Mark Institute, the exclusive licensee of Linus Torvalds, owner of the mark on a world-wide basis.
All other trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.