Hitachi America to Enter Market For High Data Rate Wireless Infrastructure
BRISBANE, Calif., April 24, 2001 – Hitachi America, Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT) today announced it will enter the market for High Data Rate (HDR) wireless infrastructure equipment targeting data service providers and telecommunications carriers throughout North America.
HDR is a wireless data communication system that enables high-performance and cost effective wireless data services. HDR provides a spectrally efficient 2.4Mbit/s peak rate transmission in a standard 1.25 MHz bandwidth channel. Optimized for packet data services, HDR incorporates a flexible architecture based on standard Internet Protocols (IP). HDR's IP-based architecture allows flexible implementation of this wireless system in high-performance and cost effective ways. As a complementary solution to voice networks utilizing an operator's existing cell sites, towers, antennas and network equipment, HDR technology allows those operators to leverage their current infrastructure investment and cellular networks. HDR can also be implemented as a stand-alone system using off-the-shelf IP backbone equipment, which Hitachi can also provide.
HDR is compatible with IS-95A, IS-95B and future cdma2000 networks, enabling existing cdmaOne and cdma2000 service providers to obtain higher capacities and superior performance by optimizing voice and data spectra separately. Hitachi is the leading provider of HDR infrastructure systems in Japan. It is the first company to jointly develop and manufacture HDR equipment, which it has done with Qualcomm since January of 2000. In addition, Hitachi supplied a HDR trial system to a Japanese leading mobile operator, KDDI, joined with Hitachi, Qualcomm, Sony and Kyocera. The trial was conducted between July 2000 and February 2001 in the urban area of Tokyo. The trial enabled applications such as streaming video, Web browsing and e-mail to run at data transmission speed up to 2.4Mbit/s. The experience Hitachi has gained with HDR implementation in Japan will be critical in supporting the widespread deployment of the systems in North America – a market thirsty for high-speed wireless data services.
Hitachi expects to aggressively seek and evaluate potential field trial partners for HDR applications throughout North America. Hitachi America will be targeting joint discussions with Wireless Data Service Providers and Telecommunications Carriers interested in deploying the infrastructure required for the next generation of wireless services. The company has set up a special email address, hdr.info@hal.hitachi.com for interested parties to contact the company.
Hitachi America, Ltd. markets and manufactures a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, consumer electronics and semiconductors, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout North America. For more information on Hitachi America, visit http://www.hitachi.us/.
Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global electronics companies, with fiscal 1999 (ended March 31, 2000) consolidated sales of 8,001 billion yen ($75.5 billion*). The company manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers, semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial equipment. For more information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi's Web site at http://hitachi.com.
* At an exchange rate of 106 yen to the dollar.
For Media/Investor Inquiries, please contact:
Gerard F. Corbett
Corp. Communications Group
gerard.corbett@hal.hitachi.com
Terry Kubo
Hitachi America, Ltd.,
tatsuya.kubo@hal.hitachi.com
For all other inquiries please call:
1-800-HITACHI
If you have any questions specifically about Investor Relations in the United States, please contact our Investor Relations Department at investor.info@hal.hitachi.com
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