Sony and IPWireless Launch Joint 4G and Beyond Wireless Initiative

NEW YORK and SAN FRANCISCO, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Corporation of America and IPWireless, a leading provider of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technology for new applications and markets, today announced that the two companies have signed an agreement to jointly research and develop wireless technologies for 4G and beyond. The two companies will initially focus on enhancing Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology for new applications and services with work beginning immediately.

The research and development activity will be based at IPWireless' technology center in Chippenham, England and will leverage both companies' global resources.  Sony and IPWireless engineers will work together to develop key new technologies to enhance and expand the potential of LTE and other 3GPP technologies with the goal of contributing these new specifications to the 3GPP standards and beyond. These R&D initiatives will blend Sony's capabilities for delivering rich user experiences and groundbreaking consumer innovation with IPWireless' unparalleled expertise in developing 3GPP mobile broadband and broadcast technologies.  

3GPP is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations and international standards organizations that define key technologies and specify the standards used by mobile network operators and manufacturers for the evolution of GSM-based mobile networks. 3GPP standard releases include technologies such as WCDMA, HSPA, IMB, LTE, and LTE Advanced. At the end of 2009, there were almost half a billion subscriptions for 3GPP technologies making it the leading wireless standard globally.

"The wireless technologies of 4G and beyond hold the promise of opening up a new world of opportunities and possibilities for both mobile operators and consumers," said Gregg Walker, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Sony Corporation of America. "IPWireless' outstanding reputation for innovation and its significant contributions to the development of 3GPP wireless standards over the past decade make it an ideal partner for developing 4G technologies that will shape the future of tomorrow's wireless lifestyle."

Dr. Bill Jones, chief executive officer of IPWireless said, "We are thrilled to be working with an industry leader as distinguished as Sony to foster the creation of innovative 4G wireless solutions and LTE applications. Through this partnership, we believe that IPWireless will be able to greatly enhance the solutions we provide our mobile operator customers today, while developing next-generation services and applications that will continue to bolster our reputation as a leading wireless pioneer."

About Sony Corporation of America

Sony Corporation of America, based in New York, NY, is the U.S. subsidiary of Sony Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Sony is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its motion picture, television, computer entertainment, music and online businesses make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment and technology companies in the world. Sony's principal U.S. businesses include Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., and Sony Music Entertainment. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $78.9 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, and it employs 171,300 people worldwide. For more information visit www.sony.com.

About IPWireless

IPWireless broadens the horizons of 3GPP, the world's preeminent mobile standard, to support a range of compelling new applications and untapped global spectrum bands. With its complete end-to-end 3GPP solutions, including chipsets, devices, and complete network solutions, the Company enables mobile operators and other new wireless entrants from the government, consumer electronics, and other sectors, to deliver a new generation of wireless services.

The company's proven high-performance mobile broadband solutions have been deployed by a set of marquee customers around the globe in both the commercial and government markets including T-Mobile,  New York City's Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), and some of the first 700MHz deployments in the United States. IPWireless' award winning mobile broadcast solutions have been tested by some of the largest mobile operators in the world, and allow device, chipset and network vendors to accelerate their offerings for Integrated Mobile Broadcast (IMB), the GSMA endorsed mobile broadcast standard.

IPWireless is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and operates a technology development center in Chippenham, UK. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ipwireless.com

SOURCE Sony Corporation of America