DoCoMo, Intel to Co-Develop Chips for 3G Handsets
DoCoMo’s 3G FOMA service has long been plagued with sluggish handsets that drained battery power, but a recent partnership with Intel aims to improve 3G chip performance. We note that the deal is mostly symbolic, since chipmakers don’t sell chips to carriers, but to phone makers, who sell entire phones to carriers. The deal is mostly a good press grab for Intel, which is driving hard to grow its mobile business. For DoCoMo, anything that can improve their FOMA experience is welcome, as it has had trouble competing with KDDI’s 2.5G 1xRTT data service.
