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SOMA Networks Licenses QUALCOMM Technology for Last-Mile Fixed Wireless Broadband Voice and Data Solution SOMA Combines Proven CDMA Technology with Wireless Innovation to Deliver Unprecedented Performance and Services to Residential and Small-Business Customers San Francisco December 3, 2001 - SOMA Networks today announced that it has signed a license agreement with QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology. Under the terms of the multi-million dollar, royalty-bearing agreement, SOMA Networks has been granted a license under certain of QUALCOMM’s patents to develop, manufacture, and sell CDMA subscriber and infrastructure equipment implementing SOMA’s proprietary SOMA Air Interface™. SOMA Networks is the developer of a “last-mile” telecommunications solution that uses the latest advances in fixed wireless, distributed computing, and Internet technologies to deliver carrier-grade voice and multi-megabit data services to the residential and small-office market. SOMA Networks is currently conducting field trials of its non-line-of-sight fixed wireless system with large North American carriers. SOMA Networks is leveraging key strengths of QUALCOMM’s CDMA technology to deliver the SOMA Air Interface, the fixed wireless component of SOMA Networks’ telecommunications solution. Earlier generation fixed wireless systems for data rely upon line-of-sight engineering with expensive customer equipment and costly installation, while offering limited network capacity. SOMA Networks’ next-generation fixed wireless system leverages field-proven CDMA strengths in cellular deployment, network scalability, spectral efficiency, and trivial frequency planning with 1:1 spectrum reuse between sectors and cells. Eliminating the need for expensive leasing or installation of wired facilities as required by DSL, cable modems, and Fiber to the Home (FTTH), the SOMA Air Interface overcomes the economic barriers to mass deployment of competitive and profitable broadband “last-mile” services. “We are leveraging QUALCOMM’s proven CDMA technology to deliver unprecedented performance for managed multimedia IP services in the ‘last mile,’” said Yatish Pathak, president and CEO of SOMA Networks. “Unlike other fixed wireless technologies, CDMA has a proven track record with more than 15 years of field use. Harnessing QUALCOMM’s technology supports our mission to provide next-generation telecommunications solutions that enable real competition in the multi-billion dollar market for residential and small-business communications services.” The SOMA Air Interface builds on CDMA with numerous innovations designed for optimal performance in fixed multimedia broadband applications. SOMA Networks’ innovations provide for higher peak data rates, higher aggregate capacity, higher spectral efficiency, multimedia “Quality of Service” (QoS), and service convergence on IP. Combining state-of-the-art wireless technology, QoS-enabled IP, and Internet-era distributed computing, SOMA Networks’ Amosphere™ architecture uniquely positions carriers for profitable broadband services competition. The SOMA solution enables rapid deployment of voice and broadband services with no “truck roll” required for installation. The SOMAport™, the customer premises hardware component of SOMA’s telecommunications solution, can be drop-shipped to residential and small-office addresses where end users can self-install the equipment and self-provision a variety of services. End users can subscribe to multiple carrier-grade voice lines, advanced calling features, and high-speed Internet access services from within the common Amosphere software-defined service environment. “QUALCOMM is pleased to license SOMA Networks to develop, manufacture, and sell products that support the application of CDMA technology to a fixed wireless solution for the delivery of multimedia services in the ‘last mile,’” said Marv Blecker, senior vice president and general manager of QUALCOMM Technology Licensing. “This license agreement further validates QUALCOMM’s patent portfolio as essential for all proposed CDMA standards.” About Qualcomm Incorporated About SOMA Networks:
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