3G Chip Manufacturers Offered Amnesty, Thru Spectra Licensing and France Telecom, for Back Royalties Related to Turbo Codes.Business Editors & High-Tech Writers RANCHO BERNARDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2001 France Telecom, Holder of Key Turbo Code Patents, Through Its Agent Spectra Licensing, is Offering Amnesty to Chip Manufacturers On Back Royalties for Turbo Code Implementations With the Signing of a Licensing Agreement by Dec. 31, 2001 Spectra Licensing Group, the North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. licensing agent for France Telecom, announced amnesty for ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) Pronounced "a-sick." A chip that is custom designed for a specific application rather than a general-purpose chip such as a microprocessor. , equipment manufacturers and IP Core Providers worldwide on back royalties for Turbo Code implementations. Turbo Codes have been adopted into third generation (3G) wireless standards such as 3GPP GPP Government Performance Project GPP General Purpose Processor GPP General Physical Preparedness GPP Gambian People's Party GPP Good Pharmacy Practice GPP Gross Primary Productivity GPP Green Procurement Program GPP Generic Packetized Protocol (CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) A method for transmitting simultaneous signals over a shared portion of the spectrum. The foremost application of CDMA is the digital cellular phone technology from QUALCOMM that operates in the 800 MHz band and 1.9 GHz PCS band. 2000) and 3GPP2 (WCDMA (Wideband CDMA) A 3G high-speed digital data service provided by cellular carriers that use the TDMA or GSM technology worldwide, including AT&T (formerly Cingular) and T-Mobile in the U.S. ) and as such are an element of a fully compatible 3G chipset. Terms of Amnesty Amnesty on back royalties will be given for any Turbo Code Licensing Agreement (TCLA TCLA Torque Converter Lockup Actuator TCLA Transcode Control & Link Assembly ) signed before Dec. 31, 2001. With the start of 2002 a nominal fee for back royalties will be due for any agreement signed before March 31. Royalties will be due in full for any agreement signed after the end of March 2002. France Telecom, Groupe des Ecoles des Telecommunications (GET) and Telediffusion de France (TDF (language) TDF - An intermediate language, a close relative of ANDF. A TDF program is an ASCII stream describing an abstract syntax tree. TDF became part of TenDRA in abut 2001. ) are holders of a number of key Turbo Code and Turbo Code-related patents and have recently launched the Turbo Code Licensing Program (TCLP TCLP Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (US EPA) TCLP total concentrate leachate procedure TCLP Type Classification Limited Procurement TCLP Type Classification Limited Production ) to give ASIC, equipment manufacturers and IP Core Developers access to these patents on a non-discriminatory basis. "For the first time France Telecom is initiating and coordinating a standard licensing program for a multi-applicative technology. This clear and evolutionary program was created to respond to the needs of manufacturers. It will allow all players involved in the use of Turbo Codes (ASIC and equipment manufacturers, IP Developers) to benefit from this technology under attractive and coherent licensing conditions," stated Jean-Luc Chativat, a commercial engineer involved with the TCLP for France Telecom R&D. Potential Savings For manufacturers of 3G chipsets who have already started volume production in order to meet the demand for rollout of 3G networks and products worldwide, the amnesty program offers significant savings. According to Erik Johnson, director of marketing for Spectra Licensing, "The amnesty program could result in savings of 100,000 to multi millions of dollars for potential licensees. This is not to say that other Turbo Code chipset makers have nothing to gain by signing a TCLA now. We have worked with France Telecom to insure incentives for customers who are at earlier stages in their development of Turbo Code applications, such as discounts towards future royalty payments for timely signing of the TCLA." Background on Turbo Codes Invented in 1993 at France Telecom Research and Development, by Claude Berrou, Turbo Codes are gaining increasing acceptance as a commercially viable Forward Error Correction A communications technique that can correct bad data on the receiving end. Before transmission, the data are processed through an algorithm that adds extra bits for error correction. If the transmitted message is received in error, the correction bits are used to repair it. (FEC See forward error correction. FEC - Forward Error Correction ) code for broadband wireless applications. Turbo Codes operate near the Shannon limit, increase bandwidth up to 50 percent, are power efficient, and typically achieve a 3dB performance gain over other commercially viable Forward Error Correction (FEC) codes. All of these factors have led to Turbo Codes being adopted into 3G standards as well as the recently finalized Direct Video Broadcast (DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) An international digital television (DTV) standard that is the European and Far Eastern counterpart of the North American ATSC standard. ) standard for Return Channel Satellite (DVB-RCS DVB-RCS Digital Video Broadcasting - Return Channel Via Satellite ), which enables broadband interactive satellite and television services to be provided. About France Telecom R&D France Telecom R&D is France Telecom Group's research and development center, which drives innovation for all Group units in France and worldwide. The center anticipates technological revolutions and paradigm shifts in usage. The center focuses on innovation that provides customers with best-in-class communications solutions, paving the way for technologies that will become ubiquitous in the future. The performance of France Telecom R&D makes it Europe's leading telecom research and development center. France Telecom is one of the world's leading telecommunications carriers, with over 86 million customers on the five continents (220 countries and territories) and consolidated operating revenues of 33.7 billion euros for 2000 (20.4 billion at June 30, 2001). Through its major international brands, including Orange, Wanadoo, Equant and GlobeCast, France Telecom provides businesses, consumers and other carriers with a complete portfolio of solutions that spans local, long-distance and international telephony, wireless, Internet, multimedia, data, broadcast and cable TV services. France Telecom is the second-largest wireless operator and the number three Internet service provider Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. in Europe, and a world leader in telecommunications solutions for multinational corporations. France Telecom (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :FTE FTE Full-Time Equivalent FTE Full-Time Employee FTE Full-Time Equivalency FTE Full Time Employment FTE Foundation for Teaching Economics FTE Full Time Enrollment FTE For the Enterprise (SQL) FTE Fund for Theological Education ) is listed on the Paris and New York stock exchanges New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) World's largest marketplace for securities. The exchange began as an informal meeting of 24 men in 1792 on what is now Wall Street in New York City. . Contact: Manuel Lesaicherre Manuel.lesaicherre@francetelecom.com Tel: 33 1 44 44 98 34 About TDF (Telediffusion de France) TDF (Telediffusion de France) is a national broadcasting subsidiary of the France Telecom Group. TDF builds and operates infrastructures for terrestrial TV and radio, wireless telephony and wireless multimedia. TDF provides one-stop outsourcing solutions across the entire value chain for infrastructure management and service integration, spanning playout centers, teleports, distribution backbones, transmission sites, network operation and maintenance. TDF provides radio and TV broadcasters and wireless operators -- from telephony to cutting-edge multimedia -- with solutions that unlock the potential of the digital revolution. About Groupe des Ecoles des Telecommunications Groupe des Ecoles des Telecommunications (GET) is a STIC STIC Sciences et Technologies de l'information et de la Communication (French: Information and Communication Science and Technology) STIC Smalltalk Industry Council STIC Star Trek Italian Club STIC Science and Technology Information Center Research and Training Public Establishment. GET regroups the ENST ENST Ecole Nationale Superieure des Telecommunications (Paris, France) , the ENST Bretagne and the INT, as well as other schools created through partnerships. Research is at the heart of the school's activities belonging to the Group and the scientific community attests to quality work produced. The schools take an active part in most of the major domestic and international telecommunications project. About Spectra Licensing Group -- North American Licensing Agent Spectra Licensing, headquartered in Rancho Bernardo, specializes in the licensing of communications technology patents. Most recently Spectra Licensing has become the exclusive North America representative for France Telecom of the TCLP, putting licensed Turbo Code solutions into the hands of communications product developers and vendors. For more information on Spectra Licensing Group and the TCLP, visit their Web site at www.spectralicensing.com or contact their licensing agent. Spectra Licensing Group Erik Johnson Director Sales and Marketing 619/807-3224 erik@spectralicensing.com About TurboConcept -- European Licensing Agent TurboConcept, located near Brest, France, is an expert in Turbo Code technologies. Professors Berrou, Glavieux and Pyndiah, inventors of Turbo Codes, support the company. In addition to its IP Core Designer activities, TurboConcept has recently become the exclusive commercial agent for the Turbo Code licensing Program in Europe. For more information on TurboConcept activities and the TCLP, visit their Web site at www.turboconcept.com or contact their licensing agent. TurboConcept Nathalie Brengarth +33 229 00 19 88 nathalie.brengarth@turboconcept.com |
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