US : Furthering its commitment to providing advanced telecommunications technology to the U.S. market, Siemens Communications, Inc., today announced it has expanded its relationship with the Georgia Institute of Technology's Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) to include the creation of next generation wireless (3G) products and applications.

Siemens is providing financial support, which will enhance its ability to create next generation voice, wireless data and IP-based multimedia subsystem (IMS) applications for its U.S. customers.

In addition to a monetary contribution, Siemens is donating a variety of its 3G wireless network infrastructure equipment and technology, including Siemens IMS platforms and 3G network components. The facility, equipped with the latest 3G/UMTS technology from Siemens, will focus on developing state-of-the-art IMS applications for Siemens and U.S. carriers. Both Georgia Tech and Siemens Communications, Inc., personnel will staff the facility.

Next generation applications range from high-speed access to the Internet and wireless video and audio for business customers as well as a wide variety of services such as high-resolution digital image transfer, full-motion video, location and presence-based services, fixed mobile convergence (FMC), voice over IP (VoIP) and advanced interactive gaming.

"We are pleased to work with Siemens, a global leader in UMTS networks and IMS solutions," said Dr. Joy Laskar, Joseph M. Pettit Professor in Electronics and director of the Georgia Electronic Design Center. "These third and fourth generation wireless systems are expected to trigger an explosion in wireless Internet and data applications by delivering dramatically higher data rates and many new multimedia applications for the mobile handset. The ability to do research using Siemens' latest equipment will allow our students to continue to perform at the highest levels and to be better prepared for the future."

The project is currently in its second phase and may include future joint research efforts involving other Siemens Communications, Inc., research and development facilities in Boca Raton, Fla., as well as educational seminars featuring top Siemens engineers at Georgia Tech.

Siemens Communications, Inc., is one of the world's leading providers of 3G technology, with more than 30 existing UMTS infrastructure contracts and 20 IMS trial systems deployed. Today, nearly one out of every two commercial UMTS networks worldwide relies on technology from Siemens Communications, Inc. and its partner NEC. This represents coverage for about 90 percent of all 3G subscribers worldwide.

"We are proud to be a part of such a dynamic and diverse community of technology minded students and leaders here in the heart of Atlanta," said Berndt Baumgartl, president, Mobile Division, Siemens Communications, Inc. "With the commitment of Georgia Tech's GEDC and U.S. carriers, 3G is no longer limited to just polite conversation about futuristic technologies. It is going to become a real enhancement to wireless communications in the near future."

IMS is a 3G standardized control domain for multimedia services. These applications, such as Siemens' IMS @vantage, provide a secure and flexible infrastructure for any type of IP communication, including video telephony, FMC, instant and multimedia messaging, multimedia gaming, or presence and location-based services. IMS@vantage works together with any packet-based access network, allowing operators to leverage the IMS core infrastructure by using it not only for UMTS radio access, but also for GPRS, EDGE, TD-SCDMA, license-free hot spot radio technologies (WLAN) and wire line networks.