The Next Best Thing

While Paratek Microwave may once again need to change courses if the broadband wireless market continues to flounder, Louise Sengupta is confident that technology being developed by her company can be adapted for many purposes. For instance, her components can help manufacturers who are developing multiband cell phones, otherwise known as world phones. Handset manufacturers are losing money with these phones because they are so expensive to develop, says Sengupta.

Part of the expense is due to the filters that are needed in the phones to accommodate the different frequencies used in different markets. Multiple filters mean more components and bigger phone sizes, both of which add to manufacturing costs. These filters also consume power, which further inflates handset cost. Paratek is working with handset manufacturers on developing a single tunable filter of low power consumption. "It would reduce the cost of the phone and help these guys attack their ever-shrinking growth margins," Sengupta says.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in The Net Economy.