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Global
News
October
23, 2002
Infineon,
Agere ally for wireless networking solutions
USA AND GERMANY -- Agere Systems and Infineon
Technologies AG have announced that they have formed
a broad alliance to jointly develop high-performance
chips based on the 802.11 standard to offer next-generation
wireless networking solutions.
This technology offers 20 times higher bandwidth than
current wireless networks and will reach up to 54 Mbps
to support enterprise solutions, multimedia entertainment
and home applications. The collaboration between Agere
and Infineon includes intellectual property licensing
and a mutual supply agreement. Both companies will independently
market next-generation wireless LAN products.
The solution will be targeted to manufacturers of communication
and computing equipment to meet the growing demand for
high data rate wireless LAN systems that provide business
and residential users with flexible access to email
and the Internet. By developing a solution that leverages
the respective strengths of each company, Agere and
Infineon will help drive the deployment of wireless
LAN.
According to IDC, an industry analyst firm, the total
market for wireless LAN chips is expected to grow at
a CAGR of nearly 30 percent from $331 million in 2001
to $1.200 million by 2006. Current applications are
supported by today's 11 Mbps 802.11b technology. However,
as new services emerge and the number of end-users grows,
the bandwidth required in enterprise networks will rise
significantly. The market will increasingly migrate
to multimode solutions which com-bine 802.11a, b, and
g technologies, while operating in both 2.4GHz and 5.2GHz
frequencies. Multimode solutions are projected to represent
as much as 57 percent of the total wireless LAN chip
market by 2006, according to IDC.
Under the agreement, Agere and Infineon will co-develop,
supply and support reference designs that include all
of the components required by network equipment, consumer
electronics and PC manufacturers to offer end products
with wireless net-working capabilities.
Agere will provide its multimode media access controller
(MAC) with software drivers to the joint solution, while
Infineon will contribute its advanced dual-band radio
technology and wideband power amplifier chips. Agere
and Infineon will co-develop the physical layer (PHY)
component for the reference designs, combining intellectual
property and experience from each company. Under the
terms of the agreement, Infineon and Agere will also
cross-license patents and technology that will be jointly
used. The two firms will begin sampling to customers
by second quarter 2003.
Contact:
Reiner Schoenrock
Tel: 49-89-234-29593
Fax: 49-89-234-28482
Email: reiner.schoenrock@infineon.com
Web: www.infineon.com
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