WiLAN

Last updated

Wi-LAN Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
Industry Patent monetization
Founded1992
FounderHatim Zaghloul
Michel Fattouche
Headquarters
Ottawa, Ontario
,
Canada
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Michael B. Vladescu, President and CEO
Products Bluetooth, LTE, WiMAX,
WiFi, CDMA, DOCSIS
Parent Quarterhill Inc.
Website wilan.com

WiLAN is a technology development and intellectual property licensing company with headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. [1] In addition to collaborating with other patent portfolio owners, WiLan licenses its own portfolio of patents. Modern wireless communication methods are continuously researched and developed by WiLAN Labs. A publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange, Quarterhill Inc.'s principal subsidiary is WiLAN..

Contents

History

In 1992, Hatim Zaghloul and Michel Fattouche co-founded WiLAN [2] after they developed together the Wideband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (WOFDM), [3] [ non-primary source needed ] and Multi-code Direct-sequence Spread Spectrum (MCDSSS). [4] [ non-primary source needed ] Through WiLAN's efforts, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has allowed OFDM technology over the 2.4 GHz unlicensed ISM band for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards. MC-DSSS (MultiCode-Direct-sequence Spread Spectrum) is central to high speed CDMA applications, the main technology currently used by many cellphone networks.

In March 1998, WiLAN had its initial public offering. [5]

In November 1999, WiLAN and Philips invited companies to attend a meeting to form an alliance to promote the OFDM technology and its applications. [6] WiLAN was a founding member of the WiMAX Forum together with Ensemble, CossSpan, Harris, and Nokia.

From its founding in 1992 to 2000, WiLAN had success as interest and investment in the tech industry grew. However, in 2000, when the world's first tech bubble collapsed, WiLAN's fortunes changed. At the start of 2000, WiLAN's share price was at $80. By the end of that year, WiLAN's share price had dropped by 90 per cent. [7]

Refocusing business in 2006

In 2006, WiLAN changed their business model. Instead of focusing on research and development and trying to commercialize its patent technology, WiLAN divested its various technology product lines to refocus its business on licensing intellectual property and patent rights.

WiLAN's company goals would center around licensing its own technology patents to third-party companies, as well as licensing patents it had acquired.

In line with WiLAN's refocus on patent licensing, in late 2005 the company brought in Jim Skippen, who had previous experience in licensing technology from working at Mosaid as a senior vice president of patent licensing and general counsel. [8]

WiLAN also moved from its original location in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Ottawa, where the company has remained since. [9] That same year, WiLAN acquired Tri-Vision, a company that developed a key ingredient in the V-Chip technology. WiLAN also signed a $50 million license deal with Nokia, allowing Nokia to use WiLAN's wireless patents. [10]

By 2012, WiLAN owned or controlled more than 3,000 patents. [11]

In 2015, WiLAN announced that it had gained a new portfolio of 7,000 patents in technology related to access memory, flash memory, semiconductor manufacturing, and other technologies. Labeled the "Qimonda portfolio", in June 2015, WiLAN announced it had signed a multi-year licensing agreement with Samsung, allowing Samsung to use technology in WiLAN's new Qimonda portfolio. [12]

Restructuring in 2015

In late 2015, WiLAN announced that, beginning in October 2015, it would undergo a significant company restructuring. [13] As part of this restructuring, WiLAN announced that it would spin off its research and development unit and cut its dividend to shareholders. The restructuring would affect 30 per cent of WiLAN's workforce. The company would also focus on licensing patent portfolios owned by other companies and helping companies monetize their patents.

In April 2017, WiLAN acquired International Road Dynamics, a Saskatoon-based road traffic management system engineering company, for $63.5 million. [14] In May 2017, they acquired VIZIYA, a software services provider, for $40 million. [15] The acquisition of VIZAYA was part of a broader restructuring at WiLan from a patent licensing company to a more diversified technology holding company. As part of the restructuring, a new holding company, Quarterhill Inc., was created, which contains WiLan Inc., International Road Dynamics, and VIZIYA as subsidiaries. [15]

Products

  1. Hopper, DS-SSSS modem, 19.2-115kbit/s, 902-926 MHz unlicensed band – 1993–1999.
  2. Hopper Plus, AWE, DS-SSSS CSK modem, up to 1Mbit/s, 2.4 GHz and 5.7 GHz unlicensed bands – 1994–2000.
  3. BWS, Libra Product Lines, OFDM modem, up to 16Mbit/s, 2.4 GHz – 1999–2006.
  4. Semiconductors

Awards

  1. 2004 Calgary Export Achievement Award for Collaborative Partnerships by the Haskayne School of Management. [16]
  2. Export Achievement Award from Alberta Venture Magazine in 2004 [17]
  3. Wireless Communications Association International "Wemmie" Award in 2003. [18] The award was for the Banco Del Pichincha non-line-of-sight network in Ecuador.
  4. Alberta Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists Association 2002 APEGGA Achievement Award for substantial technological progress. [19]
  5. 1999 recipient of the CATA Alliance Award of Distinction for Emerging Technology. [20]
  6. 1998 ASTECH Award for "Small Business" [21]
  7. One of four finalists for the 1997 ASTECH Award for "Small Business" [21]
  8. 1993 Electronic Industries Association of Alberta (EIAA) "Award for best technology". [21]
  9. Wireless Communications Association (WCA) International "Wemmie" in the "Most Effective Educational Program" category for the Northern Lights School Division network in Northern Alberta. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IEEE 802.11</span> Wireless network standard

IEEE 802.11 is part of the IEEE 802 set of local area network (LAN) technical standards, and specifies the set of medium access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) protocols for implementing wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication. The standard and amendments provide the basis for wireless network products using the Wi-Fi brand and are the world's most widely used wireless computer networking standards. IEEE 802.11 is used in most home and office networks to allow laptops, printers, smartphones, and other devices to communicate with each other and access the Internet without connecting wires. IEEE 802.11 is also a basis for vehicle-based communication networks with IEEE 802.11p.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing</span> Method of encoding digital data on multiple carrier frequencies

In telecommunications, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is a type of digital transmission used in digital modulation for encoding digital (binary) data on multiple carrier frequencies. OFDM has developed into a popular scheme for wideband digital communication, used in applications such as digital television and audio broadcasting, DSL internet access, wireless networks, power line networks, and 4G/5G mobile communications.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless Internet service provider</span> Internet service provider with a network based on wireless networking

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">MobileStar</span>

MobileStar Network was a wireless Internet service provider which first gained notability in deploying Wi-Fi Internet access points in Starbucks coffee shops, American Airlines Admiral Club locations across the United States and at Hilton Hotels. Founded by Mark Goode and Greg Jackson in 1998, MobileStar was the first wireless ISP to place a WiFi hotspot in an airport, a hotel, or a coffee shop. MobileStar's core value proposition was to provide wireless broadband connectivity for the business traveler in all the places s/he was likely to "sleep, eat, move, or meet." MobileStar's founder, Mark Goode, was the first to coin the now industry standard expression "hotspot," as a reference to a location equipped with an 802.11 wireless access point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-speed multimedia radio</span>

High-speed multimedia radio (HSMM) is the implementation of high-speed wireless TCP/IP data networks over amateur radio frequency allocations using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware such as 802.11 Wi-Fi access points. This is possible because the 802.11 unlicensed frequency bands partially overlap with amateur radio bands and ISM bands in many countries. Only licensed amateur radio operators may legally use amplifiers and high-gain antennas within amateur radio frequencies to increase the power and coverage of an 802.11 signal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vislink Technologies</span> American technology company

Vislink Technologies, Inc. is an American technology company that specializes in the collection, delivery, management and distribution of high quality live video and data. Founded as xG Technology in Sarasota, Florida in 2002, the company had acquired both Vislink and Integrated Microwave Technologies by 2017. In February 2019, xG Technology formally changed its name to Vislink Technologies. The company is headquartered in Hackettstown, New Jersey and has regional offices in Billerica, Massachusetts and Anaheim, California, as well as global offices in the United Kingdom, Dubai and Singapore. Vislink is a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crescent (Belgian company)</span>

Option is a publicly quoted technology company, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium. Option specializes in the design, development, production and commercialization of broadband wireless technology devices. Option has been awarded Ernst & Young's ‘Company of the Year’ award for 2005.

IEEE 802.11a-1999 or 802.11a was an amendment to the IEEE 802.11 wireless local network specifications that defined requirements for an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) communication system. It was originally designed to support wireless communication in the unlicensed national information infrastructure (U-NII) bands as regulated in the United States by the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Section 15.407.

IEEE 802.11b-1999 or 802.11b is an amendment to the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking specification that extends throughout up to 11 Mbit/s using the same 2.4 GHz band. A related amendment was incorporated into the IEEE 802.11-2007 standard.

IEEE 802.11g-2003 or 802.11g is an amendment to the IEEE 802.11 specification that operates in the 2.4 GHz microwave band. The standard has extended link rate to up to 54 Mbit/s using the same 20 MHz bandwidth as 802.11b uses to achieve 11 Mbit/s. This specification, under the marketing name of Wi‑Fi, has been implemented all over the world. The 802.11g protocol is now Clause 19 of the published IEEE 802.11-2007 standard, and Clause 19 of the published IEEE 802.11-2012 standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wireless Gigabit Alliance</span> Trade association

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Digital Ocean, Inc., was founded in 1992 by Jeffery Alhom. Digital Ocean was a maker of wireless products from 1992 until it was disbanded in 1998.

LTE in unlicensed spectrum is an extension of the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless standard that allows cellular network operators to offload some of their data traffic by accessing the unlicensed 5 GHz frequency band. LTE-Unlicensed is a proposal, originally developed by Qualcomm, for the use of the 4G LTE radio communications technology in unlicensed spectrum, such as the 5 GHz band used by 802.11a and 802.11ac compliant Wi-Fi equipment. It would serve as an alternative to carrier-owned Wi-Fi hotspots. Currently, there are a number of variants of LTE operation in the unlicensed band, namely LTE-U, License Assisted Access (LAA), MulteFire, sXGP and CBRS.

Wi-Fi 6, or IEEE 802.11ax, is an IEEE standard from the Wi-Fi Alliance, for wireless networks (WLANs). It operates in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, with an extended version, Wi-Fi 6E, that adds the 6 GHz band. It is an upgrade from Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), with improvements for better performance in crowded places. Wi-Fi 6 covers frequencies in license-exempt bands between 1 and 7.125 GHz, including the commonly used 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, as well as the broader 6 GHz band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Skippen</span>

James (Jim) Skippen is a Canadian executive, lawyer, vice chairman of Quarterhill's board of directors, and former president and CEO of Canadian patent monetization firm, WiLAN. Skippen has over two decades of experience in intellectual property and patent licensing. Since 2006, Skippen's leadership at WiLAN has been credited in helping reshape the firm's focus from technology research and development to patent licensing monetization.

Quarterhill Inc. is a Canadian public technology holding company, based in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded in 1992 as a wireless technology company. In the mid-2000s, it gradually transitioned into a patent licensing company. In 2017, it renamed itself Quarterhill, and is attempting to become a holding company specializing in the Internet of Things. It is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and was listed on NASDAQ until 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MOSAID</span> Canadian semiconductor technology company

MOSAID is a semiconductor technology company incorporated in Ottawa, Canada. It was founded in 1975 as a DRAM design company, and later branched out into other areas including EDA software, semiconductor reverse engineering, test equipment manufacturing and intellectual property licensing. MOSAID went public in 1994 with a listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange under ticker symbol "MSD". By 2011 the business was based exclusively on patent licensing and the company was acquired by Sterling Partners, a US-based private equity firm. MOSAID was renamed Conversant Intellectual Property Management in 2013. In 2021, the company announced it was changing its name back to MOSAID.

References

  1. ↑ "WiLAN's 759 Patent validated in U.S." Reuters. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  2. ↑ "Wi-LAN caught between a rock and a hard place". The Globe and Mail. 21 November 2000. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  3. ↑ United States Patent Document patent number 5,282,222
  4. ↑ United States Patent number 5,555,269 and the reissued patent number 38,802
  5. ↑ Jang, Brent (7 November 2000). "Wi-LAN chief keeps cool whether shares are hot or cold". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "Wi-LAN jumps 16% after CIBC issues target price". The Globe and Mail. 18 March 2000. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  7. ↑ Shufelt, Tim (3 November 2013). "Undervalued Wi-LAN a buying opportunity". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  8. ↑ Sturgeon, Jamie (30 September 2011). "The rise of WiLAN". Financial Post. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  9. ↑ Bagnall, James (12 January 2007). "Wi-LAN finds new life in Ottawa". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "Nokia licenses Wi-LAN patents for $49.2M". CBC News. 4 December 2006. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  11. ↑ Czarnecka, Marzena (1 March 2012). "Wi-Lan left Alberta to make it big in Ottawa. Will other tech start-ups stay?". Alberta Venture. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  12. ↑ King, Carolyn (2 June 2015). "Wi-LAN Licenses Qimonda Patent Portfolio to Samsung". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  13. ↑ "Wi-LAN to restructure, spin off R&D, slash dividend". The Globe and Mail. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  14. ↑ "International Road Dynamics acquired for $63.5 million". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. 18 April 2017.
  15. 1 2 "Wi-Lan's acquisition of VIZIYA marks move into the industrial Internet of Things". Financial Post. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  16. ↑ "SMART Technologies wins Haskayne award" (PDF). Calgary Herald . Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  17. ↑ "Winner's Circle | Alberta Venture Magazine, Alberta business, Canadian business, Business Awards, Alberta news, Alberta industry". Albertaventure.com. 6 May 2004. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  18. ↑ "Company News". CanadaIT.com. 10 January 2003. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  19. ↑ "News Release" (PDF). Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  20. ↑ "Company – News & Events – News Details". WiLAN. 19 January 2000. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  21. 1 2 3 "Awards". Enel.ucalgary.ca. 6 October 2000. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  22. ↑ "Wi-LAN Wins Prestigious Wireless Industry Award". Business Wire. 18 January 2001. Retrieved 9 October 2011.[ dead link ]
  23. ↑ "Apple Just Lost a $145 Million Infringement Verdict to a Canadian Patent Troll".
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