Astri, Wavecom unite for Wi-fi
The government-backed Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (Astri) and Wavecom of France are to jointly develop wireless technologies in Hong Kong for the local and Greater China market.
Details of the co-operation are not yet finalised but Astri chairman Allan Wong said the focus probably would be Wavecom's areas of expertise in chip solutions for mobile phones.
Astri will contribute its know-how in areas such as internal antennas for mobile phones and Wi-fi base stations.
'By leveraging both sets of intellectual property we hope to develop further products and applications specifically suited for the local market and reach a wider range of customers, creating a win-win situation for both parties,' Mr Wong said.
The research body would take a share of royalties derived from technologies developed by the two parties.
'We have a body of existing intellectual property in place already,' said Wavecom co-founder Aram Hekimian. 'But the key point is time to market in chip solutions and Astri brings a lot of value in terms of its own intellectual property and market research. We hope this will bring new opportunities.'
Wavecom will also be expanding its Hong Kong research and development staff from 25 to 45 in the coming months.
The firms expect to sign a multi-year deal following the memorandum of understanding revealed yesterday.
Mr Wong said the co-operation aimed to develop intellectual property that could be harnessed by Hong Kong firms in the mainland.
'Hong Kong has 67,000 companies in the Pearl River Delta - many of which are consumer electronics companies,' he said.
'To compete ... they have to renew their technology and develop new functionality and applications.'
