Cisco Inks Wireless LAN Agreement with Other Leading Vendors

In a development that could have wide ranging implications for the WLAN industry, Cisco Systems has teamed up with industry leaders like HP, IBM and Intel to enable interoperability of third-party client adapters and mobile devices with Cisco Aironet wireless local area network (LAN) infrastructure. This program, named Cisco Compatible Extensions, also includes tie-ups with silicon suppliers producing both embedded and stand-alone wireless LAN designs like Agere Systems, Atheros, Atmel, Intel, Intersil, Marvell and Texas Instruments.

Cisco Compatibility is assured through independent testing at a designated test lab initiated by the Cisco Compatible Extensions silicon supplier, Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) or PC Original Equpment Manufacturer (OEM) including HP and IBM also announced today. With Cisco Compatible Extensions, customers can deploy their wireless LANs with a variety of "Cisco Compatible" branded client adapters and mobile devices with increased confidence.