Verizon, partners show off first Innovation Center products

12.07.2011
Verizon Wireless Tuesday showed off dozens of early-stage LTE wireless products at its new in Watham, Mass.

The products included some built by small startups that took advantage of the wireless expertise of Verizon engineers working at the center. The companies are not charged for the consulting work in hopes that the products will utilize Verizon's LTE networks.

All the companies that work with Verizon engineers at the center get to keep patent and intellectual property rights for the products they build there, and don't have to share revenue garnered from them with Verizon, said Brian Higgins, executive director of LTE ecosystem development for the carrier.

"We don't even ask the innovators to run their products over Verizon LTE," Higgins said. "AT&T could do it."

What Verizon ultimately gets out of the relationships is an expanded LTE universe, where many products will eventually run over Verizon's LTE network and generate wireless revenues for the carrier, various partners explained.

Robert Klingle, CEO at Nomad Innovations, said his team worked with Verizon engineers for 700 hours to bring LiveEdge.tv to its early product stages as an alternative wireless newsgathering technology for broadcasters.