Intel today announced a new cellular processor that uses advanced "wireless-Internet-on-a-chip" technology. The highly integrated microchip is the first to combine the key components of today's cellular phones and handheld computers onto a single piece of silicon - promising to bring advanced functionality, longer battery life and more innovative phone designs to mainstream phones.

Called the Intel PXA800F cellular processor, it is a key component of the Intel Personal Internet Client Architecture (Intel PCA), Intel's development blueprint for designing wireless handheld communication devices that combine voice communications and Internet access capabilities.

Nowadays feature-rich mobile phones include integrated camera, colour screen, and games have multiple components, and represent the most expensive and sophisticated portion of the cell phone market segment. However, history has demonstrated that when more capabilities are put on a single chip, the functionality of the device increases and production costs decrease. Therefore, expect cheaper and more advanced mobile phones based on the Intel PXA800F chip.

The Intel PXA800F cellular processor features a high-performance, low-power processor running at 312MHz based on the Intel XScale technology with four megabytes of integrated Intel On-Chip Flash memory and 512KB of SRAM for industry leading application performance. In addition, the Intel PXA800F cellular processor includes a 104MHz signal processor using the Intel MicroSignal architecture with 512KB of integrated Intel On-Chip Flash memory and 64KB of SRAM, resulting in a complete system on a single chip for advanced GSM/GPRS cellular networks.

The Intel PXA800F cellular processor is sampling today with production volumes expected in the third quarter of 2003. Products using the new processors will be available later this year, or early next year. The Intel PXA800F cellular processor has a suggested list price of $35 in 10 000 unit quantities.