InterDigital Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:IDCC) is a recognized pioneer in the design, development and delivery of advanced wireless communication platforms. InterDigital began developing its standards compliant TDD technology in late 1990s, and is now one of the board members of TD-SCDMA Forum. On July 25, 2005, Journalist (J) from TD-SCDMA Forum interviewed Mr. Donald M. Boles (B), Senior Vice President and Chief Patent Strategist of InterDigital.

J：What is the contribution of InterDigital to TD-SCDMA and 3G?
B: InterDigital has a rich heritage in developing advanced wireless technology solutions for 2G, 2.5G, 3G and 802 standards. With respect to InterDigital’s innovation for 3G, we have a robust suite of air transport technologies including WCDMA FDD (Release 99/Release 4) TDD and HSDPA, the next generation of FDD. We believe a substantial amount of our TDD technology applies to other TDD technologies, such as TD-SCDMA. It’s important to note that the company is an active participant in the worldwide standards bodies and has made many contributions to the 3G standards.

J: What are InterDigital’s products and solutions?
B: InterDigital has an extensive portfolio of 2G, 2.5G, 3G and 802 technology solutions and intellectual property. Our technology solutions are comprised of patented inventions, software, reference designs, and know-how. InterDigital offers a complete WCDMA solution, offering FDD and TDD, HSDPA, and WLAN. The company provides baseband designs, protocol software, Adaptive Interference
Management? Solutions, and engineering services.

J: Do you have any plan in LCR development?
B: We believe that much of our TDD technology development work applies to other TDD technologies, such as TD-SCDMA. The development of the LCR version of TDD will depend largely on the market potential for deployment.

J: What’s your main IPR on TDD and 3G?
B: As a pioneer in 3G technologies, InterDigital has made a large number of inventions in both FDD and TDD. Furthermore, we continue to drive the evolution of 3G with innovations in HSDPA and HSUPA. As one would expect, InterDigital holds essential IPR in variations of 3G, including FDD, TDD and CDMA.

J: What is the proportion of your IPR in all the 3G IPR?
B: As a developer of CDMA technology since 1992, InterDigital has a robust portfolio of 3G IPR. Through our active participation in the worldwide 3G standard bodies and our innovative technology development efforts we have become a recognized provider of 3G technologies.

J: Besides air interface, what IPR in other area do you have?
B: It’s important to note that with respect to IPR for air transport technologies, InterDigital has IPR throughout the various layers of the air transport – Layers 1 through 3. In addition to air transport technology IPR, InterDigital also has IPR for smart antenna and RF management technologies.

J: Do you have any partners in TD-SCDMA area?
B: At present, we do not have any partners in the TD-SCDMA area. As we continue to monitor the evolution of TD-SCDMA, we also continue to evaluate potential partnership opportunities.

J: What about InterDigital’s IPR in other countries?
B: As the mobile industry has become global, InterDigital has been filing its patents in most major markets – in more than 30 countries -- around the world. In the 2G field, we have licensed about 70-75% of the market. In 3G, our list of licensees and customers continues to grow.

J: What is your future plan for TD-SCDMA development?
B: InterDigital continues to monitor the favorable developments of TD-SCDMA. Our further commitment depends largely on China’s commitment in this field, and the potential migration of TD-SCDMA outside of China.

J: Where do you think TD-SCDMA will prosper outside China?
B: No one knows. If I have to guess, I think the potential for TD-SCDMA deployment outside of China is in developing markets, such as India, Pakistan, countries of the former Soviet Union, etc.

J: Do you have any traditional sense products? Where does your revenue come from? How much revenue does InterDigital get from its IPR?
B: InterDigital’s products are in the form of technology solutions such as software, reference designs, specifications, algorithms and know-how. Our asset is our people and our product is our technology. InterDigital’s annual revenue is more than 100 million US dollars. The majority of the company’s revenues are currently generated through patent licensing. InterDigital also generates revenue from technology transfers and IP product sales.

J: What are your comments and suggestions on the TD-SCDMA Forum?
B: We believe the Forum has been active and professional. The Forum has done an excellent job in bringing together the regulators, the network operators, and the equipment vendors. We hope that we can continue to rely on the TD-SCDMA Forum as our main information source and contact for the Chinese market. We also believe that the Forum can play a key role in positioning Chinese manufacturers in the global market.

Last update : 07-03-2008

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