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Lucent Technologies Announces Plans to License Intellectual Property for High-Speed Modem Technology
PR Newswire - September 18, 1997 08:06
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BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J., Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- In order to expedite the
adoption of a standard for 56-Kilobit-per-second modem technology, Lucent
Technologies (NYSE: LU) today announced its intent to license intellectual
property contained in three patents related to high-speed computer modem
technology, if its technology becomes a part of an industry standard for high-
speed modems.
Lucent believes its modem technology -- called pulse code modulation (PCM) --
is covered by the earliest and most basic patents in this area.
The company said it will negotiate licenses with other companies on a non-
discriminatory basis and under reasonable terms and conditions, as outlined in
a letter submitted today to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU),
the organization developing a so-called "v.pcm" standard.
Lucent has been a prime mover behind the efforts to quickly develop an
industry standard for PCM modems. The company has submitted -- and the ITU's
56K Expert Group has accepted -- several key technical proposals.
Since 1995, Lucent has been granted three patents related to PCM
technology, with several other U.S. and overseas patents pending. PCM modems
allow users to access the Internet over ordinary phone lines at up to twice
the speed possible with previous analog modems.
"We invented PCM technology and began filing applications for patents
covering most of the essential know-how and methodology in 1992," said
Robert Rango, general manager of modem ICs for Lucent's Microelectronics
Group. "We believe our patents will limit the patent rights that anyone else
will be able to obtain in this area, and don't believe any additional broad
patents are likely to issue in the U.S. pertaining to PCM modems."
Lucent is a leading supplier of high-speed modem chips to PC
manufacturers such as Compaq, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, and Toshiba, as
well as stand-alone modem manufacturers such as Hayes, Multi-Tech,
Livingston, and Xircom.
Lucent Technologies designs, builds, and delivers a wide range of
public and private networks, communications systems and software, consumer
and business telephone systems and microelectronics components. Bell
Laboratories is the research and development arm of Lucent. Lucent's
Microelectronics Group designs and manufactures integrated circuits,
optoelectronic components and power systems for the computer and
communications industries. More information about the Microelectronics
Group's business is available from its Web site at www.lucent.com/micro.
SOURCE Lucent Technologies
CONTACT: JoAnna Schooler, 908-508-8234, or home, 908-494-0250, or
jschooler@lucent.com; or Michael Jacobs, 908-508-8225, or home, 201-736-0939,
or mejacobs@lucent.com, both of Lucent Technologies
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