Agere Systems (NYSE: AGR.A) today announced that it will work with Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) to promote wireless mobile networking as an integral element of the upcoming launch of the new Windows XP operating system.
Agere Systems' ORiNOCO products are the only wireless networking systems bringing solutions to all real-world environments. Along with home and small office networks, ORiNOCO is the leading wireless network found in medium and large corporations and on university campuses of all sizes. Agere System's ORiNOCO offering encompasses indoor and outdoor WLAN products, as well as enhanced security products for public areas and security-conscious enterprises.
Agere Systems will work with Microsoft to demonstrate and promote the wireless networking freedom provided by Agere's ORiNOCO wireless networking system and Windows XP. For example, Agere Systems will supply the wireless equipment at all of Microsoft's 60 launch events throughout the United States.
By combining Windows XP with the ORiNOCO system, mobile PC users now have the freedom to roam with an easy to set up and easy to use high-speed wireless connection. Because ORiNOCO drivers are included in Windows XP, installation is as easy as plugging in the wireless PC Card or connecting a USB Client for desktop PCs.
Windows XP provides enhanced media sense capability. This enables a mobile computer, with an ORiNOCO wireless PC Card, an integrated ORiNOCO PC module, or even or an ORiNOCO USB Client device, to automatically recognize where the user is and then to set-up the appropriate wireless network settings. When the home user powers up their Windows XP laptop, it will recognize the home wireless network and correctly load the appropriate network and security settings. In the office, the notebook will load the appropriate settings and passwords. In a new location, it will search out a suitable wireless network, and, on detection, will prompt the user to decide if they want to connect with that network.
Windows XP also provides additional security beyond that found in the standard wireless network. Agere Systems and Microsoft strongly support the new 802.1x security standard that enables users to securely sign on to their corporate networks from anywhere they can get an Internet connection. By using IEEE 802.1x, wireless network users of Windows XP can connect to a network that changes its encryption keys on a regular basis. By the time a hacker has managed to capture, analyze and crack the wireless network's encryption key, the network will have moved on to a new code.
"Windows XP offers breakthrough support to make high-speed Wi-Fi networking easy and secure for mobile users and to deliver the benefits of no-new-wires connectivity for consumer and small business customers," said John Frederiksen, general manager of Windows marketing for Microsoft. "Microsoft is pleased to be working with Agere Systems so users can take advantage of the exciting new wireless networking features of Windows XP." "The combination of ORiNOCO's wireless LAN technologies with Microsoft's Windows XP provides ease of use and reliable security," said Cees Links, VP Agere Systems ORiNOCO. "Our technical staff worked closely with Microsoft's engineers to provide the absolute best mobile computing experience for end users."
ORiNOCO wireless technology is based on the IEEE 802.11b standard and is Wi-Fi(tm) compliant. This means that ORiNOCO's equipment has been successfully tested and certified to work with a wide range of Wi-Fi networking gear, regardless of make or manufacturer. ORiNOCO PC Card radios, base stations, and Mini-PCI card radios are currently marketed by almost every major computer manufacturer worldwide under their own brand names. ORiNOCO branded products are also available through numerous university bookstores, Gateway Country stores, e-commerce and computer dealers.
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