Former Siemens' Semiconductor Group Brings Microelectronics Knowledge to the OFDM Forum
Calgary, Alberta
May 31, 2000
The OFDM Forum, an association established for the development of a single global OFDM standard for high-speed wireless communications, today announced Infineon Technologies AG, formerly Siemens' Semiconductor Group, based in Munich, Germany, as its newest principal member.
Infineon provides application-oriented semiconductor solutions for use in markets such as wired and wireless communications, automotive and industrial electronics, security and chip cards, as well as memory products. Infineon joins Alcatel, Ericsson, Nokia, Philips Semiconductors, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Sony, SmartMove, Carnegie Mellon University, The Testbed Center for Interoperability (TCFI) at University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Wi-LAN as members in the OFDM Forum, along with support from Microsoft. The OFDM Forum has grown to include 30 members to date, 13 of those listed as principal members of the organization.
OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) is a technology that is considered at the cornerstone of the next generation of high-speed wireless data products and services for corporate and consumer use. OFDM is also at the foundation of both the IEEE 802.11 and ETSI BRAN standards and is used in numerous multimedia applications.
"OFDM technology is of great interest to the consumer, computing, and communication markets," said Guenter Weinberger, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Wireless Group of Infineon Technologies. "We are pleased to be a member of the OFDM Forum, which will be developing OFDM standard solutions for next generation wireless broadband communications systems."
The OFDM Forum was created to foster the harmonization of OFDM standards, promote the global harmonization of spectrum allocation, and implement a single compatible global OFDM standard for delivering cost effective devices on all wireless networks and in related industries. Forum members have established working groups which focus on OFDM issues in three areas: Fixed Wireless Access, Wireless Road Access and Wireless LAN (WLAN) including Home Multimedia and wireless personal area networks (WPANs).
"We are pleased to welcome Infineon Technologies to the OFDM Forum," says Dr. Hatim Zaghloul, Chairman and CEO, Wi-LAN Inc and Chair company of the OFDM Forum. "Infineon shares the Forum's understanding of the need for a single, compatible OFDM standard that will further enable the Forum to achieve its goal of delivering cost-effective devices on all wireless networks."
The OFDM Forum Steering Committee acts as the executive body of the OFDM Forum. The steering committee includes Ericsson, Nokia, Philips Semiconductors, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Sony Corporation, Wi-LAN and TCFI.
Membership in the OFDM Forum is open to any corporation or organization engaged in research, development, and/or manufacture of any OFDM products, as well as any software firms or other users of OFDM products who are interested in developing and improving OFDM technology and standards. Levels of membership include: principal, associate, small business, academic and governmental agency. Membership fee structure varies according to specific levels. Interested parties can apply to be a member of the OFDM Forum by calling 403-273-9133. More information can be found on the web at www.ofdm-forum.com. The next meeting of the OFDM Forum will be held in Calgary, Alberta from July 13 to 16, 2000.
About Infineon:
Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor solutions for applications in the wireless and wired communications markets, for the automotive and industrial sectors, for security systems and chip cards as well as memory products. With a global presence, Infineon operates in the US from San Jose, CA, and in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore. In the fiscal year 1999 (ending September), the company achieved sales of Euro 4.24 billion (US $ 4.51 billion) with about 26,000 employees worldwide. The company is listed on the main market segment (Amtlicher Handel) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and at the New York Stock Exchange. Further information is available at www.infineon.com.
About the OFDM Forum:
The OFDM Forum is a market development association comprised of hardware manufacturers, software firms, telecommunication companies and other users interested in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology in wireless applications. The OFDM Forum was established to create a single, global OFDM standard for cost-effective, high-speed wireless networks on a variety of devices. More information on the OFDM Forum can be found at www.ofdm-forum.com.