Cisco, Motorola Form Wireless Alliance

Networking giant Cisco Systems Inc. Monday unveiled plans to provide wireless Internet services in partnership with Motorola Inc.

The two said the partnership will unite standards for wireless services and introduce an Internet-based platform to deliver data, voice and video over cellular networks.

Cisco and Motorola will jointly invest up to $1 billion over the next four to five years to develop wireless Internet services. The companies also plan to cross license the technology and develop complementary products. They also plan to encourage third-party companies to develop new wireless services and products.

Both companies hope the effort will bring forth a new category of advanced products and services by sending IP signals over the air.

“Cisco and Motorola are bringing a new world Internet platform to the wireless industry. This extends the Internet to a world without wires and represents the first major deployment of integrated data, voice and video services under an Internet-based cellular infrastructure,” said Don Listwin, Cisco’s executive vice president.

The architecture that will drive the new devices will work across all wireless standards including Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA). That will ensure wireless devices will work anywhere around the world.