XtremeSpectrum Announces Royalty-Free Licensing for Ultra-Wideband Intellectual Property

IEEE Letter of Assurance Filing Guarantees Industry That XtremeSpectrum's IP Will Be Accessible To Industry

VIENNA, Va., Oct 29, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Underscoring its commitment to provide universal access to its essential intellectual property, XtremeSpectrum, the leading provider of ultra-wideband semiconductor solutions, has filed a second "Letter of Assurance for Essential Patents" with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc (IEEE). This letter assures the IEEE that XtremeSpectrum will offer RAND-Z (reasonable and non-discriminatory-zero licensing) access to the essential patents pertaining to XtremeSpectrum's proposal currently being considered for the IEEE802.15.3a standard, the high speed wireless PAN standard. The next step beyond a RAND filing, the RAND-Z guarantees that the essential intellectual property within the XtremeSpectrum proposal will be available, royalty-free, to all of industry to the extent the proposal is selected as the IEEE 802.15.3a standard.

"In July, XtremeSpectrum filed a RAND letter with the IEEE, asserting our commitment to provide our ultra-wideband intellectual property at reasonable licensing fees," said Martin Rofheart, CEO of XtremeSpectrum. "At the July and September meetings of the IEEE 802.15.3a Working Group, it became clear that for a standard to be confirmed, it must not have any licensing 'strings' attached--it must be royalty free. With this filing, we believe we are eliminating any licensing concerns with respect to the XtremeSpectrum proposal and moving one step closer to enabling the broad consumer adoption that the industry desires."

The announcement, made two weeks before the IEEE's next meeting being held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, assures voting members of the IEEE that the XtremeSpectrum proposal will offer a standard unencumbered by essential IP, thus allowing it to be adopted industry wide. The proposal, also supported by Motorola, ParthusCeva, Oki Semiconductor and CRL (Communications Research Laboratory), remains a leading candidate for the 802.15.3a standard and the only proposal that currently has been implemented in silicon chips.

About IEEE 802.15.3a Working Group

The IEEE 802.15 Working Group develops personal area network consensus standards for short distance wireless personal area networks (WPANs). The P802.15.3

draft standard, which is targeting high data rate WPAN applications, is widely touted as the standard for wireless multimedia distribution. In November 2001, it was agreed that a new study group would be formed to identify an alternative transmission technology, or physical layer (PHY), for an emerging higher data rate WPAN standard (802.15.3a). The IEEE is expected to publish the approved standard in late-2004.

About XtremeSpectrum's Ultra-wideband Technology

XtremeSpectrum announced the industry's first commercial UWB product in June 2002, just months after the Federal Communications Commission approved rules for the commercial use of this wireless technology. Achieving 100 megabits per second (Mbps) data rates and consuming less than 200 milliwatts (mW) of power, XtremeSpectrum's UWB chipset, called Trinity, is the fastest commercial wireless semiconductor solution available today. The high data rate, low power consumption and low cost of the Trinity chipset are ideal for multimedia-centric products, such as set-top boxes, digital displays, camcorders, DVD players, digital video recorders, and digital cameras, to send and receive digital streams of audio and video.

About XtremeSpectrum

Founded in 1998, XtremeSpectrum Inc. is the leading provider of ultra-wideband semiconductor solutions for the multimedia connectivity industry. XtremeSpectrum's Trinity chipset enables multimedia-centric devices, such as large screen displays, set-top boxes, DVDs, video recorders and digital cameras, to send and receive multiple streams of digital video, audio and data wirelessly. For more information about the company, please call 703/269-3000 or visit http://www.xtremespectrum.com.

XtremeSpectrum is a trademark of XtremeSpectrum Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

SOURCE: XtremeSpectrum

XtremeSpectrum
Diane Orr, 408-377-0308
dorr@xtremespectrum.com

Nortel Networks Announces Plans to Trial Breakthrough Wireless LAN Architecture with MIT and BT: "Nortel Networks Announces Plans to Trial Breakthrough Wireless LAN Architecture with MIT and BT

Nortel Networks Announces Plans to Trial Breakthrough Wireless LAN Architecture with MIT and BT

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 29, 2003--
Innovative Wireless Technology to Eliminate Boundaries While Driving Lower Wi-Fi Costs by Up to 70 Percent for Backhauls and Up to 75 Percent for Installation and Commissioning


Building on its recently announced "Business Without Boundaries" vision, Nortel Networks (NYSE:NT)(TSX:NT) today announced plans to trial its new public wireless LAN (local area network) architecture with MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and BT (British Telecommunications plc). The technology is designed to help drive significantly reduced costs for transport of high-speed wireless data from Wi-Fi networks to wired broadband networks.

The concept behind the new architecture originated as an experimental development following a series of collaborative discussions between Nortel Networks and MIT. Nortel Networks new network architecture for public wireless LANs is expected to help service providers drive cost reductions of up to 70 percent for backhaul and up to 75 percent for installation and commissioning according to Nortel Networks estimates.

"The challenge of adapting simple, low-cost radio technologies like Wi-Fi to extend commercial public networks is not trivial," said Nicholas Negroponte, co-founder and chairman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. "Public telecommunications is approaching a renaissance with incorporation of innovative technologies like those Nortel Networks and MIT are trialing. Tomorrow's distributed, flexible communications networks will look very different from the centralized, highly-engineered networks of today."

Nortel Networks new public wireless LAN architecture is designed to go beyond traditional 'hot spots' to provide broader, more convenient service coverage for enterprises and individual users, and to help service providers drive increased revenue opportunities.

An outgrowth of 'peer-to-peer' and 'ad hoc' networking research at Nortel Networks Ottawa Wireless Technology Lab, the new public wireless LAN architecture includes a peer-to-peer access point architecture - with smart antennas, integrated routers, and adaptive routing and security capabilities - to backhaul data wirelessly to wired broadband networks. This minimizes the need for expensive wired backhaul connections like T1 lines.

"Nortel Networks is one of the industry's most innovative wireless data network providers with a very strong heritage in public and private networking," said Pascal Debon, president, Wireless Networks, Nortel Networks. "Today's announcements demonstrate our vision of converging public and private networks and positioning enterprises and service providers to create a seamless and highly efficient experience that will deliver mobile broadband and advanced data services to end users."

Nortel Networks and BT have jointly proposed a trial of the technology with BT and one of its leading enterprise customers.

"We're delighted to be partnering with Nortel Networks, with whom we already work closely in the Enterprise market, to test this new technology as it reflects the increased demand we are experiencing in our customer base for mobile and flexible working solutions," said Chris New, director, Finance Industry Solutions, BT. "The proposed trial allows us to continue to lead the way in the mobility convergence marketplace and present our customers with increased productivity and convenience by providing access any time, any place, any where."

Virtual Private Networking (VPN), Internet browsing, e-mail, multimedia messaging, personal messaging, and other advanced services virtually 'any time, any where' via laptop computers, PDAs (personal digital assistants) and wireless handsets are expected to be the focus of the jointly proposed Nortel Networks and BT trial.

Nortel Networks will also trial the technology with the MIT Media Lab at MIT's campus in Boston. During this trial, MIT students, staff and visitors will have the ability to connect to the Internet, send and receive e-mail, and access MIT campus files and content securely from any location with any device. In addition, the MIT Media Lab plans to trial future wireless data services and applications created by MIT Media Lab staff and students. Applications will include the use of wireless networks to allow collaboration among intelligent devices and their users.

Nortel Networks is a founding sponsor of the Media Lab, and currently sponsors the Media Lab's Digital Life research consortium.

Nortel Networks expects that the MIT trial and the jointly proposed BT and Nortel Networks trial are expected to be completed in early 2004.

"Today's announcement is a testament to our vision for the industry and our strategy of removing barriers to efficiency, productivity, and growth, and creating opportunities for new revenues and services," Debon said. "We're breaking new ground and leading a new wireless data era by providing our customers innovative technology that will help drive profits and position them to offer a compelling wireless broadband solution to enterprise and end users alike."

As part of Nortel Networks Business Without Boundaries vision, this architecture is designed to provide the appropriate level of network access and security while supporting the unrestricted mobility of end users, regardless of where and how they access the network. It will incorporate 'auto discovery' and 'self healing' algorithms to simplify deployment and reduce service outages by optimizing radio link communications and minimizing interference. In addition, the self-organizing nature of the architecture removes the need for RF engineering or commissioning, enabling installation in any location where power is available, significantly increasing the reach of wireless LAN coverage.

Infrastructure equipment being used in the trials are expected to include Nortel Networks Wireless Mesh Network solution, which includes Wireless Access Point 7220, Wireless Gateway 7250, Nortel Networks Optivity Network Management System, and related network management elements.

This is the third announcement in Nortel Networks wireless LAN rollout, building on the December 2002 announcement of Nortel Networks capability to link wireless WAN (wide area networks) and wireless LANs securely, thus allowing users to roam seamlessly between 2G/3G networks and wireless hot spots with a single user sign-on. The new products complement Nortel Networks award-winning WLAN 2200 Series, introduced in March 2003, which provide a complete, end-to-end wireless networking solution for enterprise campus environments, serving as an extension of the wired communications infrastructure. With the introduction of the Wireless 7200 series, service providers and enterprises have a solution for areas that do not, or cannot, support a wired backhaul offering.

BT

BT Group plc is the listed holding company for an integrated group of businesses providing voice, data and video services in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. British Telecommunications plc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group, holds virtually all businesses and assets of the BT group.

BT is one of Europe's leading providers of telecommunications services. Its principal activities include local, national and international telecommunications services, higher-value broadband and internet products and services, and IT solutions. In the UK, BT serves over 20 million business and residential customers with more than 29 million exchange lines, as well as providing network services to other licensed operators.

BT consists principally of three lines of business:

-- BT Retail, serving businesses and residential customers and including BT Openworld, one of the UK's leading ISPs.

-- BT Wholesale, providing network services and solutions within the UK, including ADSL, conveyance, transit, bulk delivery of private circuits, frame relay and ISDN connections.

-- BT Global Services, BT's managed services and solutions provider, serving multi-site organisations worldwide. Its core target market is the top 10,000 global multi-site organisations with European operations.

There are a number of other businesses within the BT group, including BT Exact, an internationally renowned centre of excellence in IT and networking technologies. It is also BT's technology and research and development business.

In the year ended 31 March 2003, BT's turnover was GBP 18,727m. with profit before taxation of GBP 1,829m.

For more information, visit www.bt.com

About the MIT Media Lab

Since opening its doors in 1985, the MIT Media Lab has pioneered new approaches to bringing digital technologies into our lives. The Media Lab has helped to create now-familiar areas such as digital video and multimedia, and is now exploring new frontiers, such as wireless "viral" communication; machines with common sense; affective computing; advanced interface design; spatial imaging; interactive cinema; new forms of artistic expression; and how children learn. These themes outline a future where the bits of the digital realm interact seamlessly with the atoms of our physical world, and where our machines not only respond to our commands, but also understand our emotions - a future where digital innovation becomes the domain of all.

About Nortel Networks

Nortel Networks is an industry leader and innovator focused on transforming how the world communicates and exchanges information. The Company is supplying its service provider and enterprise customers with communications technology and infrastructure to enable value-added IP data, voice and multimedia services spanning Wireless Networks, Wireline Networks, Enterprise Networks, and Optical Networks. As a global company, Nortel Networks does business in more than 150 countries. More information about Nortel Networks can be found on the Web at www.nortelnetworks.com.

Certain information included in this press release is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the completion of the comprehensive review and the release of financial results and issuance of restated financial statements for 2000, 2001 and 2002 and the first and second quarters of 2003; the severity and duration of the industry adjustment and the continued reductions in spending by our customers; the sufficiency of our restructuring activities, including the potential for higher actual costs to be incurred in connection with restructuring actions compared to the estimated costs of such actions; fluctuations in operating results and general industry, economic and market conditions and growth rates; negative impacts on our gross margins; the ability to recruit and retain qualified employees; fluctuations in cash flow, the level of outstanding debt and our current debt ratings; the ability to meet the financial covenant in our credit facilities; the use of cash collateral to support our normal course business activities; the dependence on our subsidiaries for funding; the impact of our defined benefit plans and our deferred tax assets on our results of operations, cash flows and compliance with our financial covenant; the ability to integrate the operations and technologies of acquired businesses in an effective manner; the impact of rapid technological and market change; the impact of price and product competition; barriers to international growth and global economic conditions, particularly in emerging markets and including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of rationalization in the telecommunications industry; the dependence on new product development and our ability to predict market demand for particular products; the uncertainties of the Internet; the impact of the credit risks of our customers and the impact of customer financing and commitments; stock market volatility generally and as a result of acceleration of the settlement date or early settlement of our purchase contracts; the impact of the New York Stock Exchange minimum listing requirements and the proposed consolidation of our common shares; the impact of supply and outsourcing contracts that contain delivery and installation provisions, which, if not met, could result in the payment of substantial penalties or liquidated damages; the ability to obtain timely, adequate and reasonably priced component parts from suppliers and internal manufacturing capacity; the future success of our strategic alliances; and the adverse resolution of litigation and intellectual property disputes. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, see the most recent Form 10-Q and Form 10-K filed by Nortel Networks with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Nortel Networks disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Use of the terms "partner" and "partnership" does not imply a legal partnership relationship between Nortel Networks and any other party.

Nortel Networks, the Nortel Networks logo, the Globemark and Business Without Boundaries are trademarks of Nortel Networks.

Contacts


Nortel Networks
Jamie Moody, 972-684-7167
moodyjam@nortelnetworks.com
or
Tina Warren, 905-863-4702
tinawarr@nortelnetworks.com
or
Alexandra Kahn, 617-253-0365
akahn@media.mit.edu
or
Louise Lawson, +44 773 919 6869
louise.lawson@bt.com

Fool.com: Nokia Doubles CDMA [Motley Fool Take] October 29, 2003: "Nokia Doubles CDMA

By Dave Mock
October 29, 2003
In a period where investors are looking for some excitement to kick-start the next bull run, wireless stalwart Nokia (NYSE: NOK) dropped a mixed bag of Finnish financials on the market last week, announcing third-quarter earnings largely in line with expectations. Revenue -- in line (yawn). Earnings -- marginal drop of 2% (yawn). CDMA market share -- doubled (yawn... snort snort! Wait! Say again?)."

Bluetooth Wireless Technology Makes Its Way Into Record Number of Consumer
Products

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bluetooth Special
Interest Group (SIG), the trade association responsible for Bluetooth wireless
technology, today announced that the short-range wireless technology has made
its way into a record number of consumer products. For the first time ever,
total Bluetooth product shipments worldwide exceeded one million units per
week, in 3rd quarter 2003, according to Matthew Towers of IMS Research which
operates a Bluetooth semiconductor volume tracking service.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/bluetooth/11470/
This news may come as a surprise to some as the general consumer audience
is still largely unaware of the technology, but that is expected to change
even as soon as this holiday season. Bluetooth wireless technology has been
quietly making progress over the past year and can now be found in an
impressive array of consumer products, from mobile phones and headsets to PDAs,
PCs, MP3 players and even automobiles.
"Bluetooth has hit a major milestone in its evolution as the technology
enters the maturity stage of its lifecycle. A stable specification and
installed base that runs into millions of units is proof that it has been a
success," said Michael Wall, industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan. "Even critics
would be hard-pressed to name any other wireless communications technology
that managed to achieve the volumes and diversity of deployment of Bluetooth
in just six years."
Aside from the very compelling idea to easily connect electronic devices,
many attribute this progress to the association's strategic focus on improving
the end-user experience. The foundation of this strategy, the "Five Minute
Ready" program, was launched last December as a challenge to the multiple
industries developing Bluetooth products to ensure consumers achieve a
five-minute or less out-of-the-box experience.
"The commitment of the Bluetooth community to the ongoing development of
standards is ensuring that it will continue to be relevant as wireless
communications moves into the future," added Wall.
"The Five Minute Ready program was a challenge that this industry issued
to itself. With eyes wide open, a collective commitment was made to take this
technology to the next level and deliver its promise to consumers," said Mike
McCamon, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. "With a fresh and jointly
held view on the importance of usability, developers and manufacturers are
feeling even more confident about Bluetooth wireless technology -- and one
million products a week shipping is proof of that."
It appears that many product manufacturers took the Five Minute Ready
challenge to heart. Major announcements from manufacturers launching new
consumer products with Bluetooth have hit an all-time high in the past few
months:
-- Bluetooth technology is now an option in the IBM ThinkPad series,
Toshiba Portege, Dell Latitude D800, Sony Vaio, and other PCs, and
comes standard in Apple's G4 PowerBooks.
-- Auto manufacturers Toyota/Lexus, Ford/Lincoln, DaimlerChrylser, Audi
and Acura all recently announced plans of Bluetooth connectivity in
the automobile, joining the ranks of GM, BMW and many others which
have already shipped cars with Bluetooth technology, giving drivers a
true hands-free calling experience.
-- Apple and Logitech brought personal computer peripheral products to
market, announcing new wireless keyboards and mice.
-- The gaming industry shows huge promise - the Nokia N-Gage hit shelves
October 7 and Tapwave's Zodiac gaming device will be available in
early November.
-- Handheld manufacturers such as Palm and HP continue to innovate
handheld devices -- Palm recently unveiled the Tungsten T3 and HP
launched new models of the iPaq.

New market segments continue to open up for Bluetooth wireless technology
applications as well. The adoption of the Audio/Visual profile and other
important application profiles earlier this year are already showing up in
products like wireless stereophonic headsets and are expected to result in
exciting new products on the market in coming months that include
groundbreaking new applications with Bluetooth wireless technology.
"The hype fantasy is finally meeting the product reality where Bluetooth
wireless technology is concerned. Current applications and products are
getting better and new, viable applications and solutions are on the horizon,"
said David Whitlinger, strategic analyst of the system technologies lab at
Intel. "One million products shipping per week is just the beginning."

About the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
Bluetooth(R) wireless technology is revolutionizing the personal
connectivity market by providing freedom from wired connections. It is a
specification for a small-form factor, low-cost radio solution providing links
between mobile computers, mobile phones and other portable handheld devices,
and connectivity to the Internet. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG),
comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, and network
industries, is driving development of the technology and bringing it to market.
The Bluetooth SIG includes promoter group companies Agere, Ericsson, IBM,
Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, and thousands of Associate and
Adopter member companies. The Bluetooth SIG, Inc. headquarters are located in
Overland Park, Kansas, U.S.A. For more information please visit
http://www.bluetooth.com.
The Bluetooth word mark and logo are registered trademarks and are owned
by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

Mercury News | 10/27/2003 | FCC move opening E-Band could be telecom gold mine: "FCC move opening E-Band could be telecom gold mine
By Mike Langberg
Mercury News

When Secretary of State William H. Seward bought Alaska from the government of Russia for $7 million in 1867, the huge and empty territory seemed so worthless the deal was mocked as ``Seward's Folly.'' Only with the discovery of gold 30 years later and oil a century later did the brilliance of Seward's move become clear.

On Oct. 16, the Federal Communications Commission quietly announced what could be the telecom equivalent of Seward's Folly: opening up a huge and empty swath of spectrum that looks marginally useful now but could ultimately become essential to ultra-high-speed data communication."

The Register: "HP raises wireless profile
By Wireless Watch
Posted: 26/10/2003 at 21:50 GMT


Hewlett-Packard has not been one of the big noises in the wireless market so far. In its enterprise business, it has seen IBM leaping ahead in terms of mobile enterprise services; it has added wireless connectivity to its PCs and iPaq PDAs, but no more rapidly than anyone else; in networking it has been an also-ran. It now seeks to change all that by taking a leading position in multimode wireless devices, by boosting its enterprise WLAN business and by moving aggressively into digital home products. "