Wavecom SA announced today the signature of a software tools License Agreement with TCL Mobile Communication Co., Ltd.
The agreement gives TCL the right to use Wavecom's Advanced Open MMI and Open Stack software tools for the development of a series of high-end multimedia telephones based on Wavecom's Flex platform.
Advanced Open MMI allows access to source codes above and below the existing application programming interface, enabling greater customization and sophistication. Advanced Open MMI provides engineers with access to all key system software ingredients and interfaces as well as the tools to interconnect almost anything. These include not only application programming interfaces (APIs), but also voice, SMS and MMS, communications management, graphical engine, device drivers, mass storage and SIM tool kit as well as display, video and audio drivers. Open Stack gives access to the Wavecom-designed layers 2 and 3 of the GSM/GPRS protocol stack. Intended for clients with significant wireless development and engineering resources, Open Stack can help handset manufacturers simplify and streamline the validation and field testing of their new products.
The license agreement follows the signature in October 2003 of a Master Agreement concerning the supply of Wavecom's Flex platform to TCL, and calls for the delivery of 2.5 million hardware units (WISMO Quik, Pac or Flex) within 18 months from the first CTA (China Type Approval) of a TCL device developed under the Master Agreement. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The Flex platform is a complete hardware platform for handset applications in four parts: an RF module, a baseband chip, a power management chip and an audio filters chip. Each component can be placed separately, anywhere within the handset, which gives the handset manufacturer's R&D teams greater control over the form factor of the handset. Developers can add features through external memory and companion chips, and choose their own peripherals and memory chips.