Spreadtrum Communications, a fabless semiconductor provider in China, announced its next-generation multimode LTE modem, the SC9620, Telecompaper.com reported on Aug 18, 2014. This new LTE modem pairs with Spreadtrum’s smartphone chipsets to provide customers with a complete mobile platform for 4G smartphones. Spreadtrum’s 4G mobile platform has been adopted by China handset brands Lenovo and Coolpad and is shipping in 3-mode LTE smartphones recently launched for the domestic Chinese market.

The SC9620 is a LTE baseband modem designed for use in 4G smartphones, tablets or other data devices, supporting 3GPP LTE Release 9 Category 4 at up to 150 Mbps downlink speed. In tandem, Spreadtrum has released a platform for 3-mode LTE devices supporting TD-LTE, TD-SCDMA and EDGE/GPRS/GSM for the domestic Chinese market. Supported TD-LTE bands include Band 38, 39, 40 and 41. Products that support 5-mode operation will follow later this year.