Some VERY interesting comments Re: the OFDM conference:
"Wi-Lan rockets on rumours of Cisco deal"
Thursday November 25, 3:12 pm Eastern Time
OTTAWA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Wireless technology star Wi-Lan Inc. (Toronto:WIN.TO - news)(Alberta:WIN.AL - news) continued to tear up the market on Thursday with a 27 percent gain amid signs that its technology is about to enter the big leagues.
The Calgary, Alta.-based firm, which made its Toronto Stock Exchange debut October 28, is soaring on industry buzz that its patented technology will soon be licensed to Cisco Systems Inc. (NasdaqNM:CSCO - news), the world's biggest maker of computer networking equipment.
Investors are also flocking to the firm on word that it is attracting industry heavy weights to a round-table conference it will host in California December 2, lending credibility to its technology.
``The fact that it's going to be well attended shows the high interest level within the industry,' said Robert Millham, analyst at Research Capital Corp. in Vancouver. ``There's always a possibility that what could emerge out of this meeting is an agreement between Wi-Lan and Cisco.'
Investors added C$7.25 to the stock on Thursday, taking it to a new high of C$33.30. The stock's previous peak was C$29.80, while its low point was C$15.15.
The stock began trade last March at C$2.50 a share on the Alberta Stock Exchange.
Wi-Lan, whose name springs from wireless local area network, has developed technology that helps wireless networks carry more data and send it faster. It works by broadcasting radio
signals across several channels simultaneously at high frequencies.
Any deal with Cisco for the wide-band OFDM technology, or orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, could lead to further future deals with industry leaders.
Cisco heads an alliance, including such partners as Schaumburg, Ill.-based Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT - news) and Dallas, Tex.-based Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE:TXN - news),
which are banding together to develop a standard for high-capacity wireless Internet services.
Wi-Lan's OFDM technology could be incorporated into modems, wireless phones and set-top boxes combining televisions and computers for the high-speed transmission of data.
Wi-Lan has struck a licensing deal with the Philips Electronics unit Philips Semiconductor to include its technology in a set-top box microchip being developed.
Other customers include Telia subsidiary Telia GlobalCast, a Swedish carrier, and Tele2 U.K. Ltd., a subsidiary of Millicom International Cellular SA (NasdaqSC:MICCF - news). |
