Sirius to launch latest satellite radio chipset in Q4 2002

Sirius Satellite Radio will introduce its latest 2G chipset for its satellite radios in Q4 of this year. This chipset utilizes Agere Systems' 0.135m, 6-Layer Metal technology to integrate all digital portions of the receiver circuitry, excluding memory, into a single chip.

According to Sirius, aside from a reduced size, the chipset will feature improvements over the existing design, including a 50 percent reduction in required power and improved thermal management to reduce heat. The new design is also said to enable Sirius to lower total system costs by almost 50 percent.

"We are pleased to be a key partner with Sirius in bringing this SoC solution to the satellite radio market," said Edwin Muth, managing director of Agere's satellite radio component business. "The reduction in power and overall component count is the key in enabling car radio manufacturers to offer a fully integrated receiver in the dashboard."