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Marconi Joins WiMAX
Forum™ to Support Global Broadband Wireless Access Standard
Achieving standardization will help drive interoperable last-mile
solutions and more efficiently deliver services to customers
London — October 6, 2004 — Marconi Corporation plc (London: MONI and
NASDAQ: MRCIY) has today announced it has joined the WiMAX Forum™ and
will support the industry wide acceptance of the IEEE 802.16 wireless
networking standard designed to provide last-mile broadband access.
The WiMAX Forum has been established to drive the deployment of
802.16-based networks and help ensure the compatibility and
interoperability of broadband wireless access equipment through its
testing and certification programs. The Forum defines a
specification and interoperability criteria with the goal of achieving
a globally recognized method of providing wireless network access.
This standardized approach has considerable benefits for suppliers,
service providers and consumers.
"It's exciting to see a company like Marconi bringing their wireless
heritage and deep ETSI experience to the WiMAX Forum," said Ron
Resnick, president of the Forum. "With companies like Marconi, the
WiMAX Forum is able to represent all areas of the wireless industry in
bringing standards-based broadband wireless access to the world."
These wireless metropolitan area network (MAN) profiles, supporting
frequencies up to 11 GHz, can provide homes, businesses and wireless
LAN hot spots with broadband access. WiMAX technology can be used to
backhaul Wi-Fi hotspots and WLANs to the Internet; provide campus
connectivity; and enable a wireless alternative to cable and DSL for
last-mile broadband access.
"Marconi joining the WiMAX Forum continues our long history of
supporting standardization initiatives in wireless technology," said
Alex Marshall, vice president of product marketing, Marconi. "The
WiMAX Forum's goal to produce interoperability profiles from the
802.16 standard will do much to promote the use of broadband wireless
access. It will not only make the technology much more accessible for
service providers and consumers, but also make the concept of a
universally available broadband network realizable.
"WiMAX is a great opportunity for us to broaden our already extensive
fixed wireless capability," Marshall continued. "It gives Marconi the
ability to address needs stretching from consumer access, through
Quality of Service enabled point-to-multipoint access networks, to
high-speed trunk networks — all complete with carrier-class network
management."
Future developments of WiMAX technology will allow nomadic access to
wireless broadband in addition to the initial fixed wireless access
described in the first profiles.
About WiMAX Forum
The WiMAX Forum™ is an industry-led, non-profit corporation formed to
help promote and certify the compatibility and interoperability of
broadband wireless products using the IEEE 802.16 and ETSI HiperMAN
wireless MAN specifications. The forum's goal is to accelerate the
introduction of these devices into the marketplace. WiMAX Forum
Certified™ products will be fully interoperable and support
Metropolitan Broadband Fixed, Portable and Mobile Applications. For
more information about the WiMAX Forum and its activities, please
visit www.wimaxforum.org
About Marconi Corporation plc
Marconi Corporation plc is a global telecommunications equipment,
services and solutions company. The company's core business is the
provision of innovative and reliable optical networks, broadband
routing and switching and broadband access technologies and services.
The company's customer base includes many of the world's largest
telecommunications operators.
The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol
MONI and on NASDAQ under the ticker MRCIY.
WiMAX Forum™ and WiMAX Forum Certified™ are registered trademarks of
the WiMAX Forum™.
This press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to
products, partners, customers, future growth and other matters. Please
refer to the Form 10-K report filed by Marconi Corporation plc with
the United States Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion
of risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from
such statements. |
