Wireless Industry Leaders Publish Open Specifications for Cellular/WLAN Convergence

Milpitas, CA
September 1, 2004

Kineto Wireless a Key Participant in Creation of Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) Specifications

Kineto Wireless (www.kinetowireless.com), a key innovator and leading supplier of solutions for seamless mobility and Cellular/WLAN convergence, today announced the company, along with thirteen other leading service providers, infrastructure suppliers and handset manufacturers in the wireless industry, have published a set of open specifications for extending mobile voice and data services over Wireless LANs. Companies that participated in the development of the Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) specifications include Alcatel, AT&T Wireless Services, Inc., BT PLC, Cingular Wireless LLC, Ericsson AB, Kineto Wireless Inc., Motorola, Inc., Nokia, Nortel Networks, Inc., O2, Rogers Wireless Inc., Siemens AG, Sony Ericsson, and T-Mobile USA. More information about UMA technology, as well as access to the UMA specifications, is available through the UMA technology web site (www.umatechnology.org).

With the UMA specifications now available, service providers can look to deploy interoperable solutions that enable subscribers to roam and handover seamlessly between cellular networks and public and private WLANs using dual-mode mobile handsets. With UMA technology, subscribers receive a consistent set of mobile voice and data services as they transition between access networks. Solutions based on the UMA specifications support the handover of active mobile voice calls and data sessions between networks, ensuring no interruption of service.

“There has been no shortage of one-off fixed-mobile products and solutions over the years,” said Peter Jarich, senior analyst, wireless infrastructure, Current Analysis. “The release of the UMA specifications is especially important because they point to a critical mass of carrier interest in convergence while finally providing vendors with an open set of specifications to build to.”

“As a key participant in their development, we believe the UMA specifications for Cellular/WLAN convergence represent a significant milestone within the wireless industry,” said John O’Connell, president and chief executive officer, Kineto Wireless. “To support the broad deployment of UMA-based services, Kineto is providing a number of UMA-compliant products and services for service providers and the mobile device community.”

Development of the UMA specifications began in late 2003, with the participating companies sharing a common goal of creating, specifying and promoting a technological solution for extending mobile voice and data services over unlicensed spectrum technologies, including Bluetooth and 802.11. The UMA specifications available though the UMA technology web sites are intended for use by vendors of wireless communications systems and applications to develop UMA compatible solutions.

To support the commercial deployment of UMA-based services, Kineto Wireless has developed a number of UMA-compliant products and services for service providers and the mobile device community. For service providers, the Kineto Mobile over WLAN (MoWLAN) system is a UMA-compliant core network solution for extending mobile services over broadband IP access and WLANs. For the mobile device community (handset, chipset and software stack vendors), Kineto has developed a UMA-compliant handset software client and complimentary development tools. Kineto also provides mobile device manufacturers with expert resources to accelerate their time to market of UMA-compliant products. For more information about Kineto’s UMA-compliant products and services, visit the Kineto web site (www.kinetowireless.com).

About Kineto Wireless

Kineto Wireless delivers solutions that enable the convergence of the highest growth areas in communications (mobile, VoIP and WLANs) and create the next big opportunity in wireless. The Kineto Mobile over Wireless LAN (MoWLAN) solution for Cellular/WiFi convergence enables service providers to deliver high-performance mobile voice and data services over WLANs located within homes, offices and hot spots at significantly lower cost than existing 2.5 and 3G mobile network technologies. As a result, subscribers can use their mobile phone as their primary, if not only, communications device. As an international company, Kineto Wireless does business with leading service providers, handset suppliers and infrastructure providers worldwide. For more information about Kineto Wireless, please visit www.kinetowireless.com.