Spreadtrum selects CSR connectivity and Location for Smartphone reference designs

Arrangement further expands CSR’s technology presence in China and emerging markets for smart phones

CSR plc (LSE: CSR; NASDAQ: CSRE) today announced that Spreadtrum Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPRD), a Chinese fabless semiconductor company, has chosen CSR plc to provide wireless connectivity and location technologies for the Spreadtrum® SC8805G TD-SCDMA and SC6810 EDGE/WIFI low cost smartphone reference designs in order to meet market demand in China and emerging markets for internet access, data transfer, and location. Specifically, CSR will provide its CSR6027™ Wi-Fi solution, the SiRFstarIV™ location platform and Bluetooth for the reference designs. This is an extension to CSR’s relationship with Spreadtrum on feature phone platforms on which CSR connectivity, location and Bluetooth technologies are already in volume shipment.

“Spreadtrum has been instrumental in helping Chinese manufacturers to capitalise on the smartphone revolution by offering low-cost, easy-to-integrate processors and reference designs that speed time-to-market for wireless communication products,” said Ahmet Alpdemir, senior vice president of CSR's Mobile Business Group “We view this partnership as an excellent way to continue to expand our market presence in China and other emerging markets for cost effective smartphones.”

Part of CSR’s UniFi® product line, CSR6027/6030 is a WAPI-qualified version for the Chinese market of the CSR6026™ single-chip solution delivering Wi-Fi 802.11n support for mobile embedded devices such as smartphones. The product provides manufacturers with low-cost, high performance Wi-Fi support without compromising battery life or space. CSR6027 offers a PowerSave feature ensuring that mobile devices can achieve optimal battery life, and offers a very small system footprint and very low eBom (electronic bill of materials), enabling easy integration into mobile devices.

SiRFstarIV is the market-leading location platform, now deployed in hundreds of consumer products worldwide, offering high acquisition and tracking performance and accuracy, low battery consumption, and active jammer removal. These features will bring to consumers of SC8805G and SC6810-enabled devices the ability to get a position fix with optimal speed, in varying conditions such as under dense foliage or in urban canyons, with very low battery consumption.

About the SC8805G and SC6810

The SC8805G for TD-SCDMA and the SC6810 for EDGE/Wi-Fi both come with a hardware reference design and compliance-tested software, which will accelerate time to market. Both are based on an ARM-9 600MHz processor which supports Android 2.2, 2D graphics, camera support up to 5MP, MPEG4 decoder and encoder, an HVGA touch screen LCD display and a range of connectivity options including Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth.

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About CSR

CSR is a global provider of innovative silicon and software solutions for the location-aware, media-rich, cloud-connected world. Our platforms are optimised for the automotive navigation and infotainment , digital cameras and imaging, connected home infotainment and wireless audio markets. We provide solutions to complex problems in the audio-visual, connectivity and location technology domains across a broad range of markets, with a technology portfolio that includes GPS/GNSS systems, Bluetooth® , Wi-Fi®, FM, NFC, aptX ® and CVC^TM audio codecs , JPEG, MPEG, H.264 imaging, IPS printing, microcontrollers, DSPs and broadband receivers. CSR's technology solutions and market platforms enable its customers to deliver a superior user experience and are adopted by leaders in the auto, computer, home and mobile markets. More information can be found at www.csr.com . Keep up to date with CSR on our blog , or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CSR_plc .

CAUTIONARY NOTE ON FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains certain statements (including statements concerning plans and objectives of management for future operations or performance, or assumptions related thereto) that are not historical facts and constitute ‘forward looking statements’ within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in relation to CSR’s CSR6027 WiFi solution and SiRFstarIV location platform and Bluetooth for reference designs, and their performance characteristics in Speadtrum Communications, Inc.’s SC8805G TD-SCDMA and SC6810 EDGE/WiFi low cost smartphone reference designs, market demand in China and emerging markets for internet access, data transfer and location services, and other future events and their potential effects on CSR. These forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as ‘to provide,' ‘will,' ‘helping to,' ‘offering,’ ‘to expand,’ ‘can,’ and other similar expressions regarding the performance characteristics of CSR’s WiFi, location platform and Bluetooth for reference designs, and their performance characteristics in consumer electronics products, and their potential effects on CSR. Any future release of CSR’s CSR 6027 WiFi solution, SiRFstarIV location platform, Bluetooth for reference designs or consumer electronics products containing such technology, related products or modifications to such products’ capability, functionality or features are subject to ongoing evaluation by CSR and its customers, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by CSR or its customers and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. Such forward-looking statements represent the current expectations and beliefs of management of CSR, and are based upon numerous assumptions regarding CSR’s business strategies and the environment in which CSR will operate and therefore involve a number of known and unknown risks, contingencies, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of CSR, including, but not limited to, those detailed from time to time in CSR’s periodic reports (whether under the caption Risk Factors or Forward Looking Statements or elsewhere), which are available at the SEC’s web site http://www.sec.gov . Each forward looking statement speaks only as of the date hereof. CSR does not undertake to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward looking statements contained herein, otherwise than required by law.

Bluetooth® and the Bluetooth logos are trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and licensed to CSR.

Wi-Fi®, Wi-Fi Alliance®, WMM®, Wi-Fi Protected Access®, WPA®, WPA2®, Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ and Wi-Fi Multimedia™ are trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Other products, services and names used in this document may have been trademarked by their respective owners

Contact:

US:
Evans Public Relations
Lori Evans
+1 (650) 200-5891
csr@evanspublicrelations.com
or
UK:
Rocket Communications
Sally Brown
+44(0)845 370 7024
csr@rocketcomms.net