InterDigital Inc (IDCC)

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IPWireless: Thales Broadcast & Multimedia and IPWireless announce
distribution agreement for broadband wireless access deployments
Southwick, MA, May 01, 2003 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- Thales Broadcast & Multimedia announced that it has signed a distribution agreement with IPWireless Inc., the world leader in commercial mobile broadband deployments, for sales and support of IPWireless' next-generation broadband wireless access solutions. Under the terms of the agreement, Thales will integrate and distribute the UMTS TD-CDMA (TDD) standards-based IPWireless product line that includes a complete network infrastructure solution, pocket-sized wireless desktop modems, and PC cards (PCMCIA) for laptops and PDAs. Leveraging a non-line-of-sight architecture, wireless telecommunications companies will be able to provide residential and business customers with instantaneous, "plug-and-play" last mile Internet access and rich multimedia applications on a high-capacity network designed to deliver data rates of up to 3Mbps to users in fixed, portable and mobile environments.
Thales has already received its first commercial deployment contract from a Southeast Asian operator that has already initiated a national deployment of the IPWireless solution and will offer commercial services by June of 2003.
Thales has also established a technical support center with trained personnel to support top tier operators in the South-East Asia region.
"Thales is excited to partner with IPWireless to meet the growing demand for broadband wireless Internet access in international markets," said Mark Kearns, CEO, Thales Broadcast and Multimedia Inc. "With IPWireless's proven industry leading technology, we will be able to provide operators with IP-based infrastructure to provide fixed, portable and mobile broadband services. This agreement, coupled with Thales' digital integration expertise, extensive multimedia products portfolio, and unmatched history of servicing the MMDS and WLL industry, is another symbol of Thales' longstanding tradition of product and service excellence."
"Our partnership with Thales provides us with another strong distribution channel to satisfy the surging worldwide demand for IPWireless mobile broadband," said Chris Gilbert, CEO, IPWireless. "They have already proven themselves as a fantastic partner through their development and support of a large customer opportunity. We look forward to the partnership successfully making the IPWireless technology available to more operators and consumers in other regions around the world."
About Thales and Thales Broadcast & Multimedia
Thales is a world leader in professional electronics in three key markets: Aerospace, Defence and Information Technology & Services (IT&S). The Group employs 60,000 people in nearly 50 countries worldwide, and generated revenues of over euro11 billion in 2002.
Thales Broadcast & Multimedia, a Thales Group company, designs, develops, manufactures and markets equipment, systems and solutions in the field of:
* Terrestrial Transmission (radio and TV)
* Digital Video Processing and Multimedia Distribution for broadcasting, cable TV, satellite and telecommunication services providers worldwide. Thales Broadcast & Multimedia has deployed its systems in 170 countries.
About IPWireless
IPWireless offers mobile broadband, an extremely disruptive technology that is on track to change the way people around the world communicate, access the Internet, and use a host of applications at home, at the office, or on the road. IPWireless has quickly established itself as a leader in the market, with commercial deployments around the world and trials with 10 of the top 20 global wireless operators. IPWireless has announced strategic partnerships and relationships with some of the largest players in the industry. Founded in April 1999, IPWireless is led by a world-class management team of seasoned entrepreneurs and technology and marketing executives from leading mobile and communication companies including Cisco, Lucent, Motorola, and Qualcomm. The company, backed by over $150 million in funding from leading venture capital firms, is headquartered in San Bruno, California, with R&D and sales facilities based in the U.K. For more information about IPWireless, visit the company's Web site at www.ipwireless.com.
CONTACT: Henny Valder/Joanna Lane, Brodeur Tel: [phone] e-mail: [e-mail] e-mail: [e-mail] Mark Pittick, IPWireless Tel: [phone] e-mail: [e-mail]
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