Texas Instruments and Motorola today said they have entered into a strategic partnership to develop 3G and WiMAX handsets, using TI silicon and Motorola wireless expertise.

TI and Motorola are jointly developing a WiMAX chip to be used in Motorola customer premises equipment devices. TI will develop a chipset to Motorola specifications, which will include TI digital design elements, analog components and RF solutions. TI will also print the chip in its own fabrication plants. TI is providing a similar customized solution for Motorola’s 3G chips.

Though Motorola did not name TI as an exclusive provider of WiMAX chipset, it draws into question how much larger a part in the WiMAX ecosystem Intel is playing in Sprint’s planned Mobile WiMAX network. When announcing the deal in the summer, Sprint named Intel as a key partner in the new network buildout, supplying chipsets that would ultimately power the CPEs running on the network. While Motorola is not an exclusive handset provider to Sprint—in fact Sprint named no handset vendor whatsoever—it is expected to develop a wide range of devices to support demand for the network it is building. Of the other partners, Samsung is developing its own WiMAX silicon. Nokia has not specified where it will purchase its silicon, but it also has a long relationship with TI.

As part of the deal, Motorola has agreed to buy TI’s OMAP multimedia processor chipsets, which power video and enhanced graphics and audio capabilities on phones. Motorola is specifically looking to the low-end of the OMAP portfolio, selecting single-chip radio-processor silicon that can be used to power advanced multimedia features in low-cost phones. Motorola expects to release its first handsets from the collaboration in 2008.