China's ZTE is helping to bring telephone access to Timbuktu, Mali, through a contract to provide WLL (wireless local loop) telephone equipment.

Calling Timbuktu a "byword for the most remote places on Earth," ZTE said it will provide WLL equipment based on CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) 2000 1X wireless technology to expand the telephone network in Mali's capital, Bamako, and extend access to other cities, including Timbuktu. WLL technology allows operators to offer telephone service without having to build a fixed-line infrastructure to handle calls. The technology is particularly suited to countries like Mali, where population density is low and spread out over a large area.

Toshiba, LG cross-license optical drive patents

Two of Asia's largest electronics companies, South Korea's LG Electronics and Japan's Toshiba, have signed an agreement that will give each company access to the other's patents related to optical drive technology. The patent cross-licensing agreement covers worldwide patents held by both companies on products and technology related to optical discs, optical disc drives, players, and recorders. Such deals are becoming increasingly common among major IT companies because they offer a way to speed-up and reduce the cost of development of new products. As competition in the market increases and prices continue to fall, both of these issues -- cost and time-to-market -- are becoming increasingly important.