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Nortel, Sierra Wireless Achieve Industry’s First EV-DO Revision A Mobile Calls


WEBWIRE

Pre-Commercial Data Devices Carry EV-DO Rev A Communications

MARCH 24, 2006, VANCOUVER, BC - Nortel and Sierra Wireless have achieved a significant technology milestone needed to power wireless services such as push-to-talk, push-to-video, VoIP and interactive gaming at speeds much faster than available today.

The two companies achieved the industry’s first over the air test calls using EV-DO Revision A wireless technology and pre-commercial wireless data devices. The successful tests confirm the commercial viability of EV-DO Revision A for powering next-generation broadband wireless services.

“The ability for operators to deliver new, revenue-generating services with increased network intelligence enabled by EV-DO Revision A will provide a powerful competitive advantage,” said Doug Wolff, vice president and general manager, CDMA, Nortel. “The successful tests are the latest step in Nortel’s aggressive EV-DO strategy to deliver cost-effective, high-bandwidth capabilities for wireless operations.”

“Joint interoperability testing, particularly with new network technologies like EV-DO Revision A, enables wireless operators to assess the quality and reliability of new technologies,” said Jim Kirkpatrick, chief technology officer for Sierra Wireless. “We are pleased to collaborate with Nortel to lead the market in enabling advanced EV-DO Revision A wireless solutions for our customers.”

The companies completed over the air tests using Sierra Wireless AirCard® 595 wide area wireless network cards, Sierra Wireless MC5725 PCI Express Mini Card embedded modules, and EV-DO Revision A equipment from Nortel. EV-DO Revision A technology will offer significant performance improvements to both the uplink and the downlink speeds compared to current EV-DO (Release 0) networks. EV-DO Revision A enables peak data rates of up to 3.1 Mbps on the downlink and 1.8 Mbps on the uplink.

Nortel has provided EV-DO equipment to 18 of the 29 operators worldwide including Verizon Wireless and Sprint in the United States, VIVO in Brazil, Pelephone in Israel and.Eurotel in the Czech Republic. Nortel’s CDMA equipment is designed to support EV-DO through modular upgrades to existing hardware, re-using existing base station to help operators reduce or eliminate the need for costly hardware replacements.

The AirCard 595 wireless wide area network card and the MC5725 Mini Card embedded module are Sierra Wireless’s first products for EV-DO Revision A networks and are scheduled for commercial release later this year, bringing the company’s EV-DO product portfolio to five devices since launching the industry’s first EV-DO PC cards in 2003. Both products are fully compatible with current EV-DO and CDMA 1X networks, for use in areas where an EV-DO Revision A network is not available.

For more information about Sierra Wireless products, please visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/product/, or contact the Sierra Wireless Sales Desk by calling 604-232-1488 or e-mailing sales@sierrawireless.com.

Note to editors:

To view and download images of Sierra Wireless products, please visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/news/photos.asp.

About Sierra Wireless

Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR - TSX: SW) develops and markets reliable, high quality wireless communications products that provide mobile professionals with data and voice access to wide area wireless networks. The Sierra Wireless product portfolio includes the award-winning AirCard® line of wireless PC cards, embedded modules for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and the MP line of rugged, vehicle-mounted wireless modems. Sierra Wireless also offers professional services to OEM customers during product development, leveraging the company’s expertise in wireless design and integration to provide built-in wireless connectivity for notebook computers and other portable computing devices. For more information about Sierra Wireless, please visit www.sierrawireless.com.

About Nortel

Nortel is a recognized leader in delivering communications capabilities that enhance the human experience, ignite and power global commerce, and secure and protect the world’s most critical information. Serving both service provider and enterprise customers, Nortel delivers innovative technology solutions encompassing end-to-end broadband, Voice over IP, multimedia services and applications, and wireless broadband designed to help people solve the world’s greatest challenges. Nortel does business in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit Nortel on the Web at www.nortel.com. For the latest Nortel news, visit www.nortel.com/news.

Sierra Wireless Safe Harbor

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, plans and timing for the introduction or enhancement of our services and products, statements about future market conditions, supply conditions, channel and end customer demand conditions, revenues, gross margins, operating expenses, profits, and other expectations, intentions, and plans contained in this press release that are not historical fact. Our expectations regarding future revenues and earnings depend in part upon our ability to successfully develop, manufacture, and supply products that we do not produce today and that meet defined specifications. When used in this press release, the words “plan”, “expect”, “believe”, and similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current expectations. They are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in technology and changes in the wireless data communications market. In light of the many risks and uncertainties surrounding the wireless data communications market, you should understand that we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release will be realized. “AirCard” is a registered trademark of Sierra Wireless. Other product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Nortel Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this press release may contain words such as “could”, “expects”, “may”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “plans”, “envisions”, “seeks” and other similar language and are considered forward-looking statements or information under applicable securities legislation. These statements are based on Nortel’s current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the operating environment, economies and markets in which Nortel operates. These statements are subject to important assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict and the actual outcome may be materially different. Although Nortel believes expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable based upon the assumptions in this press release, they may prove to be inaccurate and consequently Nortel’s actual results could differ materially from its expectations set out in this press release. Further, actual results or events could differ materially from those contemplated in forward-looking statements as a result of the following (i) risks and uncertainties relating to Nortel’s restatements and related matters including: Nortel’s recently announced restatement and two previous restatements of its financial statements and related events and that the previously filed financial statements of Nortel and NNL and related audit reports should not be relied upon; the negative impact on Nortel and NNL of their announced restatement and delay in filing their financial statements and related periodic reports causing them to breach their public debt indentures and obligations under their credit facilities with the possibility that the holders of their public debt or NNL’s lenders would seek to accelerate the maturity of that debt; and causing a breach of NNL’s support facility with EDC with the possibility that EDC would refuse to issue additional support under the facility, terminate its commitments under the facility or require NNL to cash collateralize all existing support; legal judgments, fines, penalties or settlements, or any substantial regulatory fines or other penalties or sanctions, related to the ongoing regulatory and criminal investigations of Nortel in the U.S. and Canada; any significant pending civil litigation actions not encompassed by Nortel’s proposed class action settlement; any substantial cash payment and/or significant dilution of Nortel’s existing equity positions resulting from the finalization and approval of its proposed class action settlement, or if such proposed class action settlement is not finalized, any larger settlements or awards of damages in respect of such class actions; any unsuccessful remediation of Nortel’s material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting resulting in an inability to report Nortel’s results of operations and financial condition accurately and in a timely manner; the time required to implement Nortel’s remedial measures; Nortel’s inability to access, in its current form, its shelf registration filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Nortel’s below investment grade credit rating and any further adverse effect on its credit rating due to Nortel’s restatement of its financial statements; any adverse affect on Nortel’s business and market price of its publicly traded securities arising from continuing negative publicity related to Nortel’s restatements; Nortel’s potential inability to attract or retain the personnel necessary to achieve its business objectives; any breach by Nortel of the continued listing requirements of the NYSE or TSX causing the NYSE and/or the TSX to commence suspension or delisting procedures; any default in Nortel’s filing obligations extending beyond May 9, 2006, causing any Canadian securities regulatory authority to impose an order to cease all trading in Nortel’s securities within the applicable jurisdiction or to impose such an order sooner if Nortel fails to comply with the alternate information guidelines of such regulatory authorities; (ii) risks and uncertainties relating to Nortel’s business including: yearly and quarterly fluctuations of Nortel’s operating results; reduced demand and pricing pressures for its products due to global economic conditions, significant competition, competitive pricing practice, cautious capital spending by customers, increased industry consolidation, rapidly changing technologies, evolving industry standards, frequent new product introductions and short product life cycles, and other trends and industry characteristics affecting the telecommunications industry; any material and adverse affects on Nortel’s performance if its expectations regarding market demand for particular products prove to be wrong or because of certain barriers in its efforts to expand internationally; any reduction in Nortel’s operating results and any related volatility in its market price of its publicly traded securities arising from any decline in its gross margin, or fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; any negative developments associated with Nortel’s supply contract and contract manufacturing agreements including as a result of using a sole supplier for key optical networking solutions components, and any defects or errors in Nortel’s current or planned products; any negative impact to Nortel of its failure to achieve its business transformation objectives; restrictions on how Nortel and its president and chief executive officer conduct its business arising from a settlement with Motorola Inc.; additional valuation allowances for all or a portion of its deferred tax assets; Nortel’s failure to protect its intellectual property rights, or any adverse judgments or settlements arising out of disputes regarding intellectual property; changes in regulation of the Internet and/or other aspects of the industry; Nortel’s failure to successfully operate or integrate its strategic acquisitions, or failure to consummate or succeed with its strategic alliances; any negative affect of Nortel’s failure to evolve adequately its financial and managerial control and reporting systems and processes, manage and grow its business, or create an effective risk management strategy; and (iii) risks and uncertainties relating to Nortel’s liquidity, financing arrangements and capital including: the impact of Nortel’s recently announced restatement and two previous restatements of its financial statements; any acceleration under their public debt indentures and credit facilities, which may result in Nortel and NNL being unable to meet their respective payment obligations; any inability of Nortel to manage cash flow fluctuations to fund working capital requirements or achieve its business objectives in a timely manner or obtain additional sources of funding; high levels of debt, limitations on Nortel capitalizing on business opportunities because of credit facility covenants, or on obtaining additional secured debt pursuant to the provisions of indentures governing certain of Nortel’s public debt issues and the provisions of its credit facilities; any increase of restricted cash requirements for Nortel if it is unable to secure alternative support for obligations arising from certain normal course business activities, or any inability of Nortel’s subsidiaries to provide it with sufficient funding; any negative affect to Nortel of the need to make larger defined benefit plans contributions in the future or exposure to customer credit risks or inability of customers to fulfill payment obligations under customer financing arrangements; any negative impact on Nortel’s ability to make future acquisitions, raise capital, issue debt and retain employees arising from stock price volatility and further declines in Nortel’s market price of its publicly traded securities, or any future share consolidation resulting in a lower total market capitalization or adverse affect on the liquidity of Nortel’s common shares. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, see Nortel’s securities filings with the SEC. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Nortel disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

*Nortel, the Nortel logo and the Globemark are trademarks of Nortel Networks.



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