SAN JOSE, Calif.-Metricom Inc. and National Semiconductor entered a strategic alliance to develop Metricom’s Ricochet modem technology for the information appliance market.
National will integrate Ricochet technology into its information appliance reference designs, such as the Geode and WebPad wireless Internet access devices, to develop a chipset for wireless modems. The two companies will jointly market the solution to device manufacturers that can incorporate it in appliances.
“Metricom is aggressively moving forward building their Ricochet 128 kbps network in 21 markets this year, including the three metropolitan areas where they have been successful for several years already,” said Brian Halla, chairman and chief executive officer of National Semiconductor. “The combination of WebPad technology and the high-speed Ricochet technology beats the cellular 3G infrastructure by at least three years.”
