InterDigital Inc (IDCC)

[mschere]

Significant..That Ericsson (who had worked several years to become a Partner in MUOS)..waited until 2 days ago to release the news that they had become an actual Partner..since their Contribution has been VALIDATED..and that this SINGLE Contract for WCDMA Infrastructure and support will amount to over $200 Million ..and IMO:Will be mostly recurring revenue bearing for IDCC, when Ericy signs an updated license with IDCC to include 3G..

More than 200 representatives from the Navy, Department of Defense agencies, as well as industry teammates General Dynamics C4 Systems, Scottsdale, Ariz., Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS), El Segundo, Calif., and other system engineering and technical assistance support contractors, participated in the three-day review held recently at Lockheed Martin's Sunnyvale facility. The PDR validated that the MUOS architecture supports the Navy concept of operations and provides backward compatibility and interoperability with the UFO system. The first MUOS satellite is scheduled for on-orbit hand over to the Navy in 2010 along with the entire ground system.



Ericsson to Provide WCDMA System for U.S. Navy MUOS Program
Monday March 14, 1:00 pm ET


STOCKHOLM, Sweden--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 2005--Ericsson, (NASDAQ:ERICY - News) the world leader in mobile communications, has signed an agreement with General Dynamics to supply WCDMA wireless equipment and telecom services in support of the U.S. Navy contract awarded to Lockheed Martin to build the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS). The multi-year agreement could be worth as much as USD 200 million to Ericsson.
MUOS is the U.S. Department of Defense's next-generation narrowband satellite communications system that will provide simultaneous voice, video and data communication for U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps troops. Ericsson will supply wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) wireless equipment through a subcontract with General Dynamics C4 Systems, which is responsible for the ground segment communications on the MUOS program. In addition, Ericsson will provide telecommunications services to support network deployment and integration, program management and software development activities.

Ericsson is the world leader in WCDMA and has supplied systems to 35 of the 56 operators who have launched commercial WCDMA services. The same proven technology that already brings new advanced services to millions of consumers can also be used for solutions for national security and public safety.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif. is the prime contractor and systems integrator for the MUOS program and is currently under contract to build the first two satellites and associated ground control elements for its customer, the U.S. Navy. The Navy's PEO for Space Systems, Chantilly, Va., and its Communications Satellite Program Office, San Diego, Calif., are responsible for the MUOS program.

"The U.S. Department of Defense has a requirement for secure, high-speed, highly reliable networks," Ericsson Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Angel Ruiz said. "We are committed to working with General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin to successfully apply our state of the art commercial mobile technology to help meet this requirement. Because it is based on a global wireless Third Generation (3G) standard, WCDMA technology will provide the Department of Defense the security and flexibility necessary for implementation into its global information defense grid. This is a break-through for commercial telecom in the defense market."

The Ericsson WCDMA radio network delivers up to 384 Kbit/s data rates and readily to future generations of commercial mobile technology. The core network provides advanced switching technologies for real time services (voice, data and video) and non-real time services (e-mail, messaging) using a common backbone network based on the Internet Protocol (IP).

Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world.

Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/press