OIS and Zeligsoft Team to Offer Integrated Communications Middleware and Tool for SDR

Objective Interface and Zeligsoft Team to Offer Integrated Communications Middleware and Development Tool Solution for Software Defined Radios

Industry Leaders Provide Joint Development Solution that Speeds Time-to-Market and Reduces Development Cost and Design Risk for SDR Platforms

Garden Grove, CA, November 15, 2005 — Today, at the SDR Forum 2005 Technical Conference, Objective Interface Systems, Inc., the premier provider of high-performance, real-time and embedded communications middleware, and Zeligsoft™, Inc., a leading vendor of market-specific embedded software development tools, announced that they have teamed to streamline the design process for Software Defined Radios (SDR) conforming to the Software Communications Architecture (SCA) standard. As a result of this collaboration, and the middleware–development tool integration resulting from it, developers will gain advantages in time-to-market, cost savings and risk reduction as they create next-generation SDRs.

With radio often providing the only means of communication in a high-risk environment, such as a military engagement or humanitarian rescue operation, the SDR market presents a market opportunity exceeding $100 billion in 2005, according to technology analyst Jim Gunn. In light of this trend, Objective Interface and Zeligsoft are integrating their best-in-class solutions for this market.

ORBexpress™ from Objective Interface is the industry’s most widely deployed object request broker (ORB) for SDR design. Zeligsoft Component Enabler™ (CE) is proven to accelerate SCA development. While the products have been successfully designed into many SDR environments for more than a decade, Objective Interface and Zeligsoft are now further enhancing the ways in which their respective products are used together. The companies’ collaboration pairs Zeligsoft’s SCA domain knowledge, understanding of component architectures, and expertise in component-based software development with Objective Interface Systems’ expertise in communications middleware and real-time ORB technology. The integrated solution supports automatic SCA code generation conforming to ORBexpress for a seamless tool integration. In addition, the two companies’ technical support groups will maintain a close relationship to offer joint technical support, training and professional services to the marketplace.

SCA-based Software Defined Radios are distributed component-based systems dependent on two middleware run-time technologies: a CORBA ORB and an SCA Core Framework. These two middleware layers both share the responsibility for deploying and configuring the radio application, and for managing the radio application on the platform. The real-time operating system (RTOS) and radio hardware are also key elements of the solution. Software development tools with domain-specific features (e.g., built-in standards validation and artifact generation) abstract complex standards away from designers to save them time. Please see the press briefing diagram below.

To ensure customers complete flexibility when designing their SDR, the Zeligsoft-Objective solution is compatible with commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) SCA Core Frameworks, RTOS and hardware from a wide range of vendors.

“There are many benefits of integrating ORBexpress with Zeligsoft’s comprehensive toolset for SDR systems,” said Joe Jacob, Senior Vice President, Objective Interface Systems. “First, we can now more easily provide a complementary solution for SDR design to our customers, offering the combination of our field-proven technology with Zeligsoft’s to our customer base. Next, we can offer customers a higher degree of flexibility in their selection of SCA Core Frameworks. Finally, by formalizing a technical support arrangement between our two companies, we can assure our customers that their technical issues will be addressed by our two companies in a seamless manner.”

“Mr. Jacobs added: “ORBexpress is a high-performance, small-footprint ORB, perfectly suited for embedded systems such as SDR. By offering built-in coding patterns for ORBexpress in Zeligsoft CE, and by allowing our customers to resolve technical questions through either Objective Interface or Zeligsoft, we deliver a unique advantage to those who select our products for SDR development.”

“We know components; Objective Interface knows middleware. Together we offer a best-in-class solution for the development of complex, mission-critical component-based SDR systems,” said Kamal Krishnapillai, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Zeligsoft. “Our combined expertise and professional services offerings can support the most challenging SDR developments.”

What is Software Defined Radio?
Software Defined Radio (SDR) is a collection of hardware and software technologies that enable reconfigurable system architectures for wireless networks and user terminals. SDR provides an efficient and comparatively inexpensive solution to the problem of building multi-mode, multi-band, multi-functional wireless devices that can be enhanced using software upgrades. As such, SDR can be considered an enabling technology that is applicable across a wide range of areas within the wireless infrastructure, both military and commercial.

With demand for SDR increasing steadily, future growth looks promising. Technology analyst Jim Gunn commented on market growth for SDR:

“The market potential for SDR in defense applications appears on-track to achieve tens of billions of dollars of opportunity. On the commercial cellular terminal and infrastructure side—clearly the largest SDR potential market—SDR technology represents a nearly $150 billon market opportunity in 2005. Adding opportunities for Public Safety, telematics, WLAN, WiMAX, etc., the indicators for SDR clearly point to solid sustained future growth opportunities.”

Availability
While compatible versions of the products are available today, the enhanced integrated solution will be available shortly. Customers can obtain support for the integrated solution from either Objective Interface or Zeligsoft. For more information on ORBexpress, please visit: www.ois.com, call 1 800-800-OIS7 or e-mail inquiries to: info@ois.com. For more information on Component Enabler, please visit: www.zeligsoft.com, call 1-800-935-4479 in North America, 819-684-9639 internationally, or e-mail inquiries to: info@zeligsoft.com. In addition, both companies are exhibiting at the SDR Forum 2005 Technical Conference, held November 14-18 in Garden Grove, CA. Objective Interface is located at Booth 311 and Zeligsoft at Booth 302.