LTE-equipped phones may soon be heading into the next generation, as ARM has announced it will introduce new chips to the 4G technology. LTE is currently being used in Verizon’s 4G network.
ARM announced on Monday that it will be bringing the Cortex-R5 and Cortex-R7 processors to mobile phones equipped with LTE 4G technology. Available in dual-core configurations, the R7 the capability of offering speeds of up to 1 Gbsp.
That one won’t be available for phone manufacturers until late in the year, but the R5, which can still pack a punch, is shipping out now to select ARM partners.
This is the first major milestone for ARM in its trek to pump up mobile processor performance in 2011, a goal that many companies are looking to do as demand for content and connectivity continues to explode in the mobile sector.
The processors will also be usable in non-LTE devices, as manufacturers will be able to limit the clock speed to lower power consumption. ARM also wants to introduce the chips to car computer systems, which would enable them to be smarter and make it safer for drivers. However, the real newsmaker out of this story is the fact that they are being designed specifically with the LTE audience in mind.
ARM is just one of many chip makers competing in the world of 4G to bring the higher performance and capacity demanded by the new network infrastructures. Dual-core chips will likely become commonplace by the end of the year, and are expected to dominate not only the high-end smartphones but also tablets and other personal consumer electronics.
Products with the Cortex-R5 processor should begin showing up in the next few months, while the more anticipated R7 should be in smartphones for the end of the year.
