The Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) Alliance, a new industry initiative that will define and promote open standards for interfaces to mobile application processors, was announced by founding members ARM, Nokia, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments Incorporated. The MIPI Alliance is a response to the broad interest in the OMAPI standard launched by ST and TI in December 2002.

OMAPI was formed by TI and ST to standardize interfaces for mobile application processors. The response to this initiative was very strong and indicated the need for a more representative formal industry organization. As a result, the new MIPI Alliance has been established as an incorporated not-for-profit entity that will include a wide range of member companies with the common goal of defining and promoting open, standard specifications for application processor interfaces. By establishing consistency in application processor interfaces, the alliance expects to ease implementation and design of hardware and software, promoting reuse and compatibility in mobile devices to accelerate time-to-market.

The MIPI Alliance is intended to complement existing standards bodies such as the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and 3GPP. While these organizations focus on services and air interfaces, respectively, the MIPI Alliance is focused on microprocessors, peripherals and software interfaces.

The MIPI Alliance is actively recruiting member companies such as handset manufacturers, semiconductor companies, hardware peripheral manufacturers, operating system (OS) vendors, middleware vendors and software application developers to help define and promote the adoption of the new standard.

As part of the MIPI Alliance, 10 working groups will be established to develop specifications in key areas such as camera and display interface, software abstraction, communications interface and system control.

The MIPI Alliance is structured to provide multiple levels of membership, in which benefits are proportional to contributions. Basic levels of membership enable use of specifications, while other levels of membership enable participation in working groups to define specifications. The MIPI Alliance expects to announce new members in the third quarter of 2003.

Representatives of Alcatel and TA Orange, one of Thailand's leading mobile operator, have signed a contract worth more than US$100 million to significantly enhance the coverage and services of TA Orange's existing nationwide mobile network, the biggest-capacity GPRS network in Asia Pacific.

The major part of this network expansion contract includes the turnkey supply of more EvoliumTM base stations and related equipment to substantially increase coverage and capacity in Bangkok and the provinces by January 2004.

Building upon the advanced EvoliumTM solution installed under the turnkey contract signed with TA Orange in 2001, the project also covers the extension of the GPRS core network and the supply of intelligent networks platforms, value added services and related implementation works which support TA Orange's continuing growth.

Alcatel will deploy its low-to-medium and high-capacity microwave radio systems for urban applications, as well as Alcatel's next-generation Optical Multi-Service Node (OMSN) transport systems. Both transmission and microwave equipment will be monitored by the Alcatel transport network management solution, which efficiently handles and manages the convergence of traditional and new-generation services over multi-technology, multi-service networks.

Under the project, Alcatel will also provide network maintenance service to ensure the delivery of the highest quality of service to the mobile end-users.

A new application, Real Time Content Charging, operating on Alcatel's Open Service Platform, will enable TA Orange to charge postpaid and even prepaid end-users for voice and data services in a totally flexible and reliable manner. Thanks to this application, TA Orange will be able to apply a high charging flexibility to a wide range of mobile services according to either the access mode (SMS, MMS, web, WAP), the request mode (Push or Pull) or the type of service itself (news, logotype download, stock values alert, etc.). This will ensure that TA Orange's clients will be able to enjoy a large choice of mobile applications and services.

The investment is part of TA Orange's long-standing business plan to upgrade the existing mobile network, corresponding to a US$239 million over the next two years. The decision to prioritize network enhancement was taken in response to extensive research into customer needs - analysis of customer usage patterns revealed where extra coverage would be most valuable.

Raytheon Company has been awarded a US$32.4 million U.S. Navy Foreign Military Sales contract from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Under the contract, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems will develop five Combat Control System (CCS) Mk 2 weapons control systems for the Australian Navy's Collins-class diesel submarines; an integrated test and training facility; and land-based development systems. This award represents Raytheon's work share of the HMAS Collins Replacement Combat System and represents the first deployment of Raytheon's proven submarine combat control system on an international submarine platform.

Engineering development, test, integration, and production of systems software and hardware for Collins CCS Mk 2 will be performed at Raytheon's Portsmouth, R.I., facility. Under a separate direct contract, presently under negotiation with the Commonwealth of Australia, Raytheon Australia will design, develop and produce hardware and software to support the installation and systems integration of CCS Mk 2 onboard Collins-class submarines.

Raytheon's One Company systems solution approach will leverage the people, systems, facilities, infrastructure, processes and domain knowledge of the IDS-Raytheon Australia team to provide the RAN with a truly capable submarine combat system and customer-focused life cycle support.

Raytheon Company is being awarded a US$31.2 million contract to produce four Phalanx Block 1B Close-In Weapon Systems for the Egyptian Navy. All four systems will be produced at Raytheon Missile System's Louisville, Ky., facility. The first delivery will be made in April 2005 with the remaining systems following over a six-month period.

Phalanx is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled radar and 20-mm gun system that automatically acquires, tracks and destroys enemy threats that have penetrated all other ship defense systems. More than 850 systems have been built and deployed in the navies of 21 nations.

The Block 1B surface mode provides both a radar and a thermal imager for identification and rapid tactical actions in the cluttered near-shore, littoral environments. This system protects ships and their crews against an increased number of threats including standard and guided artillery; helicopters; floating mines and a variety of shore-launched, anti-ship missiles. It is especially effective against the swarming attacks of small, fast gunboats.

A representative of Alcatel has announced that it has been awarded a multi-million US dollar project to provide fully integrated telecom solutions for an 800 km-long oil pipeline for the Pak-Arab Pipeline Company (PAPCO) in Pakistan. Alcatel will design, integrate, install and commission all telecommunication applications, including an optical transmission backbone, covering all 18 sites along the pipeline.

The turnkey telecom project is awarded by China Petroleum Engineering & Construction (Group) Corporation (CPECC), one of the largest international contractors in China. CPECC is building the pipeline for PAPCO, spanning from Mohmood Kot in the north to Karachi in the south of Pakistan, which is one of the biggest projects this year for CPECC.

This oil and gas telecom solution comprises next generation Optical Multi-Service Nodes (OMSN), a Private Automatic Branch Exchange, VHF and UHF trunking, a hotline telephone system, radio paging, optical Ethernet switching, a power system, secured connectivity to SCADA components, public announcement and centralised network management.

Upon the completion of the project in 2004, PAPCO will be able to provide unmanned automatic, reliable and flexible communication services along the entire pipeline, including voice, data and video services.

Representatives of U.S. Wireless Online, Inc., one of the largest wireless Internet service providers in the U.S., have announced their plans for city-wide deployment of a non-line-of-sight, wide-area wireless broadband network throughout Louisville using equipment from Navini Networks, Inc. Once operational, Louisville is expected to be the first city in the United States to have a complete metro-area network powered by the Navini Ripwave system.

In Phase 1 of the project, U.S. Wireless Online will provide service throughout approximately one-third of the Louisville metropolitan area from five tower locations using Navini's Ripwave 2.4 GHz system. Build-out of the system will begin in August. When this phase is complete, users will be able to buy a modem and have broadband access the same day, and will be able to use that broadband connection anywhere in the coverage area: whether in another room of the house or office, by the pool, at the park or in a café. Phase 1 will cover some of the wealthier areas of the city, covering approximately 75 square miles. Phase 2, to begin early next year, is expected to cover about 85% of the city.

Allegiance Telecom, Inc.'s board of directors has elected Carroll McHenry to join the Company's board. Allegiance Telecom chairman and chief executive officer Royce Holland made the announcement.

McHenry currently serves as president and chief executive officer of Nucentrix Broadband Networks Inc. (formerly Heartland Wireless Communications) of Carrollton, Texas. Previously, he served as group president-communications at Alltel Corp. and president and chief executive officer for Alltel Mobile Communications and has a broad range of industry experience including that with Qualcomm, American Cellular Communications, a joint venture with BellSouth, and other wireless firms. He began his business career at IBM Corp. McHenry earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics from the University of Louisiana in Monroe, La. McHenry is currently chairman of the board of Nucentrix Broadband Networks, Inc. and is a board member of Arch Wireless Communications in Boston.

McHenry's election is part of a realignment of the Company's board to bring the composition of the board in line with today's best practices for corporate governance. The primary goal of the Board recomposition is to increase the number of independent directors and reduce the number of management directors. To facilitate the board membership transition, two of the Company's senior executives, Tom Lord and Tony Parella, have relinquished their board positions.

In addition, one of Allegiance's original investors and long-time Allegiance board members, James Crawford of Frontenac Company, recently resigned from the board due to time commitments to Frontenac's other portfolio investments.

Allegiance Telecom is currently pursuing financial restructuring plans under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, as previously announced on May 14, 2003. The Company continues to conduct business as usual -- offering high-quality, reliable telecommunications services to its customers in major markets across the United States.

The bankruptcy filings were made in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York.

Raytheon Company has appointed Ron Ross vice president of Raytheon Information Solutions (RIS). In this capacity he will provide leadership and strategic direction to RIS -- Raytheon's consolidated Information Technology (IT) capability.

Ross brings to Raytheon more than 35 years of experience delivering IT solutions to the federal government, including nearly 20 years working on assignments in defense and intelligence agencies. Prior to joining Raytheon, Ross was president of Scientific and Engineering Solutions, a provider of information technology services to the federal government. Previously, Ross was president of Compaq Federal LLC, where he led all activities related to the company's sales of products, services, and solutions to U.S. government agencies worldwide. Earlier in his career, Ross served as president and chief operating officer of CACI International and held a series of executive positions at Computer Sciences Corporation, including president of the company's defense/intelligence business.

Ross will leverage his federal IT market knowledge in his new role --offering strategic direction, as well as leveraging the extensive array of Raytheon capabilities and expertise for the continued success of RIS. RIS, Raytheon's consolidated IT capability, offers customer-focused solutions that support federal agency mission objectives. Solution areas include: Enterprise Modernization, Knowledge Management, Security, Infrastructure Management, High Performance Data, E-Government, and Logistics Management.

Ross is a graduate of the University of Maryland and holds a Bachelors degree in management sciences. He serves on the board of directors and the executive committee of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International (AFCEA), the National Sciences Center, and the Board of Governors for the USO Worldwide Organization.

Dain M. Hancock, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin's aeronautics business area, has received the Reed Aeronautics Award for 2003 from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Named for Dr. Sylvanus A. Reed, an early aeronautical engineer, designer and founding member of the organization that became the AIAA, the award is the institute's highest honor for achievements in the field of aeronautical science and engineering.

Hancock accepted the award on July 15 at the International Air and Space Symposium and Convention - "The Next 100 Years" - sponsored by the AIAA and the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS). The award honors him for "contributions to military aircraft science, program management and multi-national cooperation in defense technology."

In announcing the honor, the AIAA noted that "his leadership has been key to the creation and fielding of the next generation of advanced military aircraft, including the F/A-22, F-35 and advanced F-16 versions."

Hancock is president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. and is the senior executive responsible for all Lockheed Martin military aircraft business activities. He began his aerospace career in 1966 at the former General Dynamics Fort Worth Division. He held various engineering and program management positions and eventually served as vice president of Program Development and as vice president of F-16 Programs. He was named president of Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems in 1995 and appointed to his current position upon the creation of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in 2000. Hancock holds bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University.