Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. today announced that it has co-developed a 32 polyphonic sound generator LSI, ML2871, and 16 polyphonic sound generator LSI, ML2873 with Casio Computer Co., Ltd. for the Chinese market.

Oki is the first semiconductor company in Japan to develop a sound generator IC specifically for the Chinese market with a commitment to develop "e-sound"(excellent sound quality) that suits the Chinese market. The two chips are ready to be used by the Chinese mobile phone manufacturers and also those in Europe, North America, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, etc., who are focusing in the Chinese market. Oki targets to sell nine million chips and hold the top market share in China by the end of the fiscal year ending March 2005.

The GSM market holds 60 percent of the worldwide mobile market, in which China is the largest. Because user needs vary and demand for new models is increased, handset manufacturers make efforts to differentiate themselves by enhancing functions and expanding their product line-up. Oki's new IC includes 13 types of Chinese traditional instruments such as Erhu, Pipa, and the Chinese Dulcimer as a differentiating function, a first for a Japanese company. To respond to the Chinese market requirements for louder ring tone volume, Oki also optimized the wavetable and achieved twice the volume sound (+6dB) than that of conventional phones from a small speaker. In addition, Oki was able to include in the chip a speaker amplifier that can drive an 8ohmspeaker for ringer tones.