France Telecom and Aperto partner on wireless

PARIS -- France Telecom and Aperto Networks have announced a partnership in technical and market development initiatives. France Telecom is one of the world's largest telecom carriers, operating in more than 75 countries and also the second largest wireless operator in Europe, and Aperto Networks is a leading developer of second generation fixed broadband wireless access (F-BWA) systems. 

"Access remains the primary bottleneck in broadband networks, and we view Aperto's unique capabilities for scalable multi-service second-generation fixed broadband wireless access as a very promising solution," said Jean-Jacques Damlamian, Group Executive VP of France Telecom. "This collaboration positions us to aggressively drive joint projects to provide a flexible and rapidly deployable solution -- in countries where the infrastructure or access to it is not adequate or non-existent -- as France Telecom continues to extend its presence globally in the growing broadband access market."

One year ago, Damlamian was elected to the board of directors of Palm, Inc. In 1998, Damlamian played a central role in a group of the highest-level French government and industry leaders in opposing what they saw as "American hegemony" over the Internet. What the Internet needs is a "stable, comprehensive, and transparent framework for Internet governance," Damlamian said at the time.

"The collaboration between France Telecom and Aperto is a winning proposition to address the rapidly growing and emerging broadband access markets worldwide,'' said Aperto Chairman and CEO, Reza Ahy. "France Telecom is a global leader with R&D, operations, marketing and sales teams of the highest caliber in the world. Aperto's breakthrough technologies, OptimaLink, ServiceQ, and RapidBurst, provide a foundation for scalable service architectures for packet-based broadband access networks for multiple services."

Venture capital

Innovacom, France Telecom's venture capital subsidiary and a profitable venture capital player in Europe, has also made an equity investment in the company. "France Telecom sees Aperto in the vanguard of second-generation F-BWA systems players," said Frederic Veyssiere, Innovacom's managing director in the US. "Based on the work already underway between the two companies on multiple fronts, France Telecom has recognized the potential of Aperto's key innovations and is working on trials with the PacketWave solution set."

Aperto Networks was founded to provide a breakthrough solution to one of today's critical network bottlenecks -- or, last-mile broadband access. With  scalable systems and patent-pending technology that support new wireless builds and complement existing wireline broadband access technology, Aperto says it addresses service provider needs for rapid network deployment, multi-service scalability, ease of installation and cost-effectiveness.

Investors in Aperto include Alliance Ventures, Tyco Ventures, Innovacom (France Telecom), DMC Stratex Networks, Oki Electric Industry Company, Mitsubishi International Corporation, Ridgewood Capital, Satwik Ventures and Redwood Ventures. 

Early-stage investor

With offices in Paris, San Francisco, Stockholm, and Tokyo, Innovacom is an active early-stage investor in Europe, Israel, North America, and Japan. Present and past portfolio companies include Actelis, Atrica, Algety Telecom/Corvis, Business Objects, Cobalt Networks, Cyoptics, Epicentric, Gemplus, Highwave, Intershop, Teem Photonics, and Tumbleweed Communications.. 

Damlamian's election to the Palm board highlighted Palm's efforts to drive handheld industry developments in the areas of wireless and communication technologies internationally. Damlamian has more than 30 years experience in the global telecommunications business and has been a driving force establishing the earliest GSM networks and personal communications services in Europe and the development of Internet services in France Telecom. 

"Jean-Jacques brings a European perspective on mobile communications, and a depth of business and technical expertise in the telecom industry that are vital to Palm's immediate and long-term growth," Palm Board Chairman Eric Benhamou said at the time of Damlamian's appointment. "We look forward to his leadership and influence as we drive Palm strategy into new and growing markets around the world."