Ericsson and VIA connect over Bluetooth

Ericsson Technology Licensing and VIA Technologies, Inc. of Taiwan signed a licensing agreement today concerning Bluetooth Intellectual Property (IP) for wireless applications.

Oct 1, 2002 - With this agreement, VIA, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, will gain access to the most commercially proven Bluetooth Radio and Baseband Cores available, thus gaining a competitive edge in this fast growing market. The deal also includes Ericsson's Bluetooth Host and embedded Stack (Software).

A major player in the move towards a more connected world that the company calls 'Total Connectivity,' VIA has chosen Ericsson's highly dependable Bluetooth IP in their drive towards that goal.

"We are very pleased to be working with the leading authority on Bluetooth," says Jerry Sun, Special Assistant to the President and Head of the Networking Business Unit at VIA Technologies, Inc. "We have entered a new era of networking and connectivity in the office and at home, and VIA wants to be at the forefront of developments in this area. We believe that working with Ericsson will be very beneficial in accomplishing that."

"VIA plays a leading role in the development of products for PCs and mobile devices," says Maria Khorsand, President of Ericsson Technology Licensing, "and we look forward to working with one of the most established companies in the industry. Ericsson and VIA share a lot of the same goals, and our cooperation should serve to strengthen both companies' positions in their respective markets."

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. Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/press

The BLUETOOTH trademarks are owned by their proprietor and used by Ericsson under license.

About Ericsson Technology Licensing
Ericsson Technology Licensing provides Bluetooth design solutions tailored for the mass market to many of the world's largest manufacturers. No company has been working longer or harder with Bluetooth wireless technology than Ericsson. We began our research back in 1994. Ericsson helped found the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) and was the first company to put Bluetooth consumer products into mass production.

About VIA Technologies, Inc.
VIA Technologies, Inc. is a leading innovator and developer of PC core logic chipsets, microprocessors, and multimedia, communications, optical media and networking chips. VIA delivers value to the PC industry by designing, marketing, and selling high-performance VIA Apollo core logic chipsets for the full range of PC platforms, and cost-effective VIA C3™ processors for Value PCs and Internet Appliances, as well as developing complete solutions for the PC platform through its VPSD Business Unit. Its customers include the world's top OEMs, mainboard manufacturers, and system integrators. VIA is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, at the center of the Greater China high-tech manufacturing engine, and has branch offices in the US, China and Europe. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE2388), and achieved annual revenues of nearly US$1 billion in 2001. Additional information can be found at www.via.com.tw