NextWave Wireless got a shot of confidence for its mobile WiMAX semiconductor solution when Korean multimedia device maker Digifriends decided to use NextWave’s chipset in its M3 Mobile Internet Device (MID).

It’s not NextWave’s first design win, but it’s significant in that it validates NextWave’s solution in the Korean market, one that’s usually tough for non-Korean suppliers to break into, according to Craig Miller, vice president of marketing at NextWave’s semiconductor unit. On many fronts, Korea is considered the most advanced WiMAX market, he noted.

Miller said he thinks what NextWave brings to the table, besides a “great” product, is its low-power consumption, meaning longer lasting battery life for devices. It also integrates features that its competitors don’t, and that allows its customers to build a more highly differentiated product, he said.

NextWave also has strong relationships with operators around the world, including North America, he said, which may be another factor that attracted Digifriends.

The M3 is expected to debut in the second half of 2009.