Samsung Electronics is planning to produce own-brand Bluetooth chips for handsets, using technologies licensed from Ericsson, according to sources, adding that the South Korea-based firm is sampling the chips with module makers and some other handset producers. Samsung has not yet responded to DigiTimes.com"s inquiry for comment. As the world"s third largest handset maker, Samsung may use its chips in own-brand handsets, a move that may reduce its sourcing from CSR, Texas Instruments (TI) and Broadcom, the sources indicated.
UK-based CSR is the world"s largest Bluetooth chip provider, holding a 63% market share in terms of cumulative design wins as of March 2004, according to Alan Woolhouse, vice president of communications with CSR, who cited www.bluetooth.com as his source.