The new XScale processors can handle multiple forms of wireless broadband access and are designed to support "smartphones," which are capable of offering sophisticated e-mail, Internet and video functions, Intel Korea said.

Intel plans to produce the XScale processors from the second quarter of this year.

The introduction of XScale-equipped smartphones is seen as a key step in a satellite-based mobile broadcasting venture by mobile carriers.

South Korea is a key market for Intel because of its advance in the informational and technology sector, Intel Korea PR manager Oh Mee-Rye said.

The XScale processors, which have higher performance and lower power consumption, allow cell phones to offer video conferencing and PDAs with DVD-like image quality, an Intel statement said.

"Advances in wireless broadband demand a new kind of wireless device," Intel executive vice president and general manager Sean Maloney said in a the statement released here.

"As various forms of wireless broadband access become increasingly available -- 3G, Wi-Fi or WiMAX -- mobile devices must have plenty of performance balanced with low-power capabilities to be able to handle all that the Internet has to offer," he said.

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