SAN JOSE, Calif. - Feb. 14, 2005 - Reflecting the strong commitment to WiMAX by major industry players, the WiMAX ForumT has expanded its board of directors to include AT&T, BT and ZTE. In addition, the organization has formed an Applications Working Group (AWG) and Network Working Group (NWG) to focus on additional areas that are key to the successful development, deployment and operation of broadband wireless access networks.

"Membership and involvement in the WiMAX Forum has continued to grow and diversify over the past year, which has helped us to further realize our vision and address all matters that are critical to the success of WiMAX technology," said WiMAX Forum President Ron Resnick." The addition of these marquee companies to the Forum's Board of Directors and the forming of two new working groups solidifies our commitment to serving the interests of service providers and enables us to more closely align the Forum's activities to meet market demand worldwide."

The purpose of the AWG is to identify and develop requirements for high-demand applications that will differentiate WiMAX deployments from other technologies and drive consumer demand for broadband wireless services. Equipment vendors, service providers and content providers are actively involved in this group. The NWG was formed to create higher-level networking specifications for fixed, nomadic, portable and mobile WiMAX systems, beyond that which is defined in the scope of the IEEE 802.16 standard. Equipment vendors and service providers are the primary participants in this group.

With the addition of AT&T, BT and ZTE, there are now 11 companies on the Board of Directors. Each company appoints a senior-level executive with industry-leading expertise in broadband wireless as its representative. AT&T will be represented by Christopher Rice, director of access technology and services; BT will be represented by Group Technology Officer Mick Reeve; and ZTE will be represented by Rajesh Bhalla, associate general manager of business development. Additional WiMAX Forum board seats are held by Airspan, Alvarion, Aperto Networks, Fujitsu, Intel, OFDM Forum, Proxim and Wi-LAN.

"China is an important market for WiMAX - both in terms of manufacturing and deployment," said Rajesh Bhalla of ZTE. "As one of the first China-based companies to join the WiMAX Forum, we are working to ensure the Forum understands and meets the needs of Chinese manufacturers, operators, regulators and users."

"Creating a global standard for broadband wireless access is no simple task when you consider the many important factors that vary from region to region and from one membership segment to the next," said Mick Reeve of BT. "But the WiMAX Forum works very diligently to identify those issues, gathering input from all over the world and working collaboratively to find the best solutions. Diversifying the board and adding working groups will only strengthen these efforts."

"Adding service providers to the board is akin to giving a seat to the customer, which is a wise decision by the WiMAX Forum," said Christopher Rice of AT&T. "Service providers around the world are evaluating WiMAX, and gaining a thorough understanding and appreciation of what service providers need to deploy, operate and maintain a service based on the technology is a key element to its success."