BT signs Wireless Agreement with Intel

BT and the Intel Corporation have announced a strategic agreement to jointly
promote the growth of broadband and wireless broadband services and high
performance mobile computers, such as those based on Intel® Centrino T
Mobile Technology.

The joint activities will include marketing initiatives aimed at promoting
the benefits of wireless working to consumers and small, medium and large
enterprises, as well as educating businesses on the productivity and
competitive gains possible when there is synergy between communications and
computing technologies.

The collaboration, championed for BT by Pierre Danon, chief executive, BT
Retail, will allow BT and Intel to play a leading role in enabling the
adoption of wireless internet and broadband communications in Britain.

Pierre said: "Unwiring the PC coupled with ubiquitous broadband access is
changing the way people use computers, allowing them to communicate, be
productive or be entertained wherever and whenever they want.

"Intel and BT are creating an ecosystem of knowledge and technology to
accelerate adoption of broadband and wireless which will help Britain to
lead the rest of Europe in converged computing and communications."

Inge Lyngborg-Ennes, BT's partnership director for Intel, added "BT and
Intel are both market leaders in our respective fields, we both have
powerful brands and passionately share common objectives of accelerating the
adoption of wireless services and promoting the benefits of the digital home
to the UK public. We are already partners in the 'Government Home Computing
Initiative' and Intel is one of our key partners in BT's 'Wireless Broadband
Week' initiative."

"The creation of a strategic marketing alliance signifies an important
milestone and a significant augmentation of the relationship between BT and
Intel. Watch this space. We will launch many new joint BT / Intel marketing
initiatives over the next 18 months and we expect to generate significant
market impact"

Intel have been quoted elsewhere as saying:

"Intel and BT will work together to promote wireless to consumers and to
businesses at every level."

Interestingly, from what I can gather as part of the deal BT and Intel will
grant each other licences across certain of their patents - though both
companies are being vague about exactly what this covers.

Regards
Sunil