(Posted on 28 November 2001 4:30 pm)

Thailand prime minister Pol Lt Col Thaksin Shinawatra visited the ISRO Satellite Centre in Bangalore on Monday, as part of his ongoing visit to the country.

ISRO chairman Dr K Kasturirangan, briefed the Thai premier about the various applications to which Indian space systems have been used in the fields of telecommunication, broadcasting, developmental education and disaster warning. ISRO has leased a few transponders on Thailand‘s THAICOM satellite to augment the INSAT capacity. Thailand is also one of the countries receiving data from Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites.

According to an official release, the Thai premier evinced keen interest in the Indian space programme and expressed his appreciation for India‘s achievements in this field. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation including his deputy, other ministers and trade representatives.

The prime minister and his delegation also visited the Satellite Integration Laboratory and the Space Exhibition at the centre, officials said.

Intel claims to have become the leading flash supplier in the set-top box market segment in the last few years. The company now supplies its set-top box customers with three volt Intel StrataFlash memory. The product is four times faster than traditional flash memory, helping faster code execution code and data storage in handheld devices. Intel also manufactures computers and is actively involved in the networking space.

Digital set-tops are used to provide television feed and electronic program guides. They also help customers browse the Internet. Flash memory allows set-top boxes to store system software, viewer-specific settings and other application programs. These are updated frequently through a digital television broadcast signal, enabling cable operators to forego the hassles of updating information manually. Flash memory is not affected by abrupt power cuts and can retain programmed features and data settings in the event of electricity failure.

Currently, most operators transfer content digitally. This has created a demand for Intel StrataFlash memory at higher densities ranging from 32- to 128-Mbit. In the past, analog set-top boxes used 4- to 8-Mbit flash chips from other flash suppliers. The product is cost-effective as it uses innovative multi-level cell (MLC) technology, claims Intel.

Intel was the first company to introduce MLC technology in volume with Intel StrataFlash memory in 1997. Since then it claims to have shipped more than 2 billion megabits of StrataFlash memory. Intel StrataFlash memory is available in multiple packages. The 56-lead TSOP package is used for easy migration from existing memory devices, while the 64-ball Easy BGA package provides SOP reliability and long-term footprint compatibility and cost in a chip scale package size. The VF BGA and Intel Stacked-CSP packages offer small footprints for wireless applications.