Cingular, Siemens And Georgia Tech Unite To Unlock The Future Of 3G Wireless Applications

Atlanta -- Cingular Wireless, Siemens Communications Inc. and the Georgia Institute of Technology announced a program to encourage the creation of advanced Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) applications and services. The program includes developing an IMS laboratory at Georgia Tech, co-sponsored by the Georgia Electronic Design Center and the Office of Information Technology, for use by students and researchers.

"We are excited to join together with Cingular and Georgia Tech to develop the first ongoing, live third-generation convergence test bed in the country," said Berndt Baumgartl, president and CEO, Siemens Communications Inc.

A public demonstration of the IMS lab, which features $5 million of equipment donated by Siemens, is scheduled for October 2006.

"This project provides a unique opportunity for the students and faculty at Georgia Tech to gain experience with a compelling new platform for next-generation wireless applications," said Ron Hutchins, associate vice provost for research and technology and chief technology officer at Georgia Institute of Technology.

The initial project for the relationship is an IMS Research Competition, which challenges upperclassmen and graduate students in the schools of engineering, computing and business management to team together to create services blending audio, video, text messaging, chat and gaming in the open-systems IMS architecture. Qualified students who participate in the year-long competition will be eligible to receive a portion of $100,000 in cash prizes -- $35,000 of which will be awarded to the grand-prize winner.

An IMS Research Competition kickoff event will be held on April 25, 2006, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., at Georgia Tech's Technology Square Research Building in Atlanta. The event will feature an informational conference and open forum between Georgia Tech students and faculty as well as executives, developers and engineers from Cingular and Siemens.

"This is a key opportunity for the students, who represent the group that is using wireless technology the most, to play a pivotal role in developing services and features for the future," said Kris Rinne, chief technology officer for Cingular Wireless.

A ceremony to present the project submissions and to recognize the winners of the IMS Research Competition will be held in May 2007.

SOURCE: Siemens Communications Inc.