February
24, 2004
VoiceAge
Announces the Conclusion of a Patent Pool for
AMR Narrowband Technology
Cannes, France –
February 24th, 2004. VoiceAge Corporation is
pleased to announce the conclusion of a joint
patent pool for the AMR (Adaptive Multi-Rate)
narrowband codec, an ETSI and 3GPP ratified
standard, with Ericsson and Nokia. The creation
of this patent pool will accelerate market development
by providing users of the AMR codec with simplified
access to the technology.
The patent pool
has put in place an essentiality evaluation
process and determination of patents that are
essential to AMR for these three major contributors,
in order to provide users with convenient, fair,
reasonable and nondiscriminatory access to a
portfolio of essential worldwide patents under
a single license agreement. Other patent owners
wishing to join the pool are welcome to submit
their patents for evaluation.
Through VoiceAge,
the pool will grant essential patent licenses
for a new range of applications such as bridging
wireless telephony and content to desktop computers,
VoIP telephony, VoIP gateways, content applications
and media players.
“The conclusion
of this agreement is a significant milestone
as it eliminates the last barriers to access
and commercially deploy the AMR technology”
says Laurent Amar, President of VoiceAge. “Emerging
new tool and application developers will all
benefit from this initiative.”
For more information
on licensing terms and conditions, please contact
VoiceAge.
About AMR-NB
The AMR standard (Adaptive Multi-Rate) is a
speech coding algorithm operating at variable
bit rates in the range of 4.75 to 12.2 kbps
in its narrowband configuration. This technology
was initially developed for the GSM System,
the single most deployed 2nd generation mobile
telecommunication system worldwide used mostly
in Europe and Asia. It was later adopted by
the 3GPP as the mandatory codec for 3rd generation
wireless systems based on evolved GSM core network
(WCDMA, EDGE, GPRS). The AMR narrowband codec
was standardized by the European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI) in 1999.
About Ericsson
Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and
Broadband Internet communications through its
continuous technology leadership. Providing
innovative solutions in more than 140 countries,
Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful
communication companies in the world.
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications,
driving the growth and sustainability of the
broader mobility industry. Nokia is dedicated
to enhancing people's lives and productivity
by providing easy-to-use and secure products
like mobile phones, and solutions for imaging,
games, media, mobile network operators and businesses.
Nokia is a broadly held company with listings
on five major exchanges.
About VoiceAge
VoiceAge is a leading provider of multimedia
codec solutions adapted to specific market requirements
for mobile handsets, consumer electronic devices,
entertainment and telephony infrastructures.
VoiceAge offers a complete line of wireless
multimedia products such as SPOT xde® Media
Platform, a powerful, rich media content creation
and adaptation platform. VoiceAge’s technology
is positioned in 16 international wireless and
wireline telecommunication standards. VoiceAge’s
renowned ACELP® patented technology, at
the foundation of AMR, has been deployed in
more than 1 billion mobile phones and 500 million
PCs worldwide. VoiceAge plays a key role in
setting industry standards as an active member
of several standards organizations including
ITU-T, ETSI/3GPP, 3GPP2 and OMA.
For more information please contact:
Nathalie Beaudoin
VoiceAge Corporation
Tel: +1-514-737-4940 ext. 232
Email: nathalie.beaudoin@voiceage.com
