SALT LAKE CITY /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- S5 Wireless, a leading developer of ultra-low cost, wide-area, next-generation wireless location and telemetry technology, announced a strategic distribution model that is expected to significantly alter the economics of the location and telemetry marketplace. Under the announced model, S5 Wireless will license its client-side device technology royalty-free to leading IC manufacturers. Strategic partners, such as telecom network providers, which lack IC fabrication capacity, will have the option to purchase S5 chips at the company's cost.
"S5's advanced location and telemetry technology is designed for deployment in virtually any device," said David Carter, President and CEO of S5 Wireless. "We believe our low-cost OEM distribution model will further enable rapid mass-market adoption of this exciting capability."
Mr. Carter added, "Existing location technologies, though elegant and useful in certain applications, suffer from a number of issues stemming from cost and performance, which ultimately inhibit true mass-market adoption. Our royalty-free client-side license will enable S5 Wireless' partners to easily and economically bring S5-enabled location and telemetry products to market, immediately addressing a number of applications. These applications include E-911 capabilities, applied to VoIP and cellular carriers, a market requiring a timely and cost-effective solution."
S5 Wireless will derive revenue from the ongoing low-cost service provided by the company, which is passed on to end users through partners offering devices and services in various markets.
This announcement follows on the heels of two significant milestones: the successful test of the company's Salt Lake City, UT, network, and the production of the company's client-side chip. Further announcements, including S5 Wireless' strategic partnerships with leading manufacturers and telecom providers, will follow.
About S5 Wireless
Founded in 2003, S5 Wireless has developed breakthrough technology enabling leading manufacturers to add ultra-low-cost, wide-area location and telemetry capabilities to virtually any device. The S5 location chip is much smaller than a dime, will cost less than $1, operates for years on a single battery, and works outdoors and indoors—even deep inside large buildings. This unique combination of characteristics and capabilities—backed by relationships with leading device manufacturers and wireless carriers—is set to transform the way the world finds and protects its people and property. S5's unique technology enables, for the first time, location-based innovation in new markets while dramatically improving existing location solutions, general asset tracking, and telemetry.
Markets served by S5 include airport baggage tracking, child and elderly location, construction-site security, consumer safety and security, E9-1-1 (911) location, hospital- and electronic-equipment tracking, insurance, law enforcement, location-assisted search, location-aware advertising, M2M, medical-device location and telemetry, package tracking, pet location, photo-location tagging, retail delivery management, sensors, social networking, and supply chain tracking.