Huawei and Alvarion Sign On with Open Patent Alliance

Wireless News
02-13-2009
Huawei and Alvarion Sign On with Open Patent Alliance
Type: News

Continuing to help advance mobile WiMAX wireless technology, mobile broadband technology companies Alvarion and Huawei Technologies, providers of next-generation telecommunications network solutions for operators, have joined the Open Patent Alliance (OPA).

The group was formed in June 2008 by members of the WiMAX ecosystem, and the addition of the two mobile network providers will contribute to the OPA objective of offering an Intellectual Property Rights solution that will further support the competitive development and widespread adoption of WiMAX.
"Intel's vision for the Open Patent Alliance brings the openness of the Internet and computing industries to the wireless broadband industry and Huawei and Alvarion are valuable additions," said Sriram Viswanathan, vice president of Intel Capital and general manager of the WiMAX Program Office, Intel. "By facilitating an open intellectual property rights model, the alliance enables a more competitive, innovative and broader WiMAX industry, ultimately benefiting consumers with more choice."

"Huawei has been developing OFDM & MIMO broadband wireless technologies for the past 10 years, and as a new member of the Open Patent Alliance, we will be able to continue shaping the direction of future WiMAX technology," said Zhao Ming, vice president of Wireless Product Line and President of CDMA & WiMAX Product Line, Huawei. "By facilitating a process that will ultimately offer broader choice and lower TCO for WiMAX technology, we can help deliver more products with high quality around the world at affordable prices."

"We are pleased to join OPA and take an active part in this initiative alongside other key WiMAX players," said Tzvika Friedman, president and CEO of Alvarion. "OPA's goals complement our open WiMAX approach and ongoing commitment to the technology, and we look forward to contributing our knowledge and experience as part of this premium group. An easily accessible pool of WiMAX patents will promote a robust ecosystem, which will not only encourage competition, but will also offer operators and consumers greater freedom of choice."

Alvarion and Huawei join current OPA members Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Clearwire, Intel, and Samsung Electronics.

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