Integrated Mobile Broadcast (IMB) technology developer, IPWireless and Huawei Technologies signed a co-operation agreement towards jointly developing IMB technology including interoperability testing (IOT) and service provider trials.

The co-operation will enable operators to source IMB equipment from multiple vendors as well as assure handset manufacturers that their devices are fully compatible with all IMB networks.

IMB is used in scenarios of streaming live video applications and broadcasting resulting in significant offloading of data traffic from 3G networks.

The interoperability tests will ensure compatibility between Huawei IMB base stations and IPWireless chipsets.

"For IMB to achieve its full potential it is critical that solutions based on the technology are brought to market as quickly and easily as possible," said William Jones, Chief Executive Officer, IPWireless. "As a leader in this industry, we are dedicated to the development of the ecosystem so that operators and their hardware partners are able to confidently and swiftly deploy IMB solutions. We are delighted to be working with Huawei in ensuring that the huge potential for mobile broadcast is realised."

"Our operator customers are seeing an explosive growth in mobile data traffic, driven by consumer appetite for multimedia on the move," said Jiang Wangcheng, President of Huawei UMTS network. "IMB provides profitability to mobile broadband operators for their business. We are very pleased to partner with IPWireless to explore the approach of developing profitable mobile broadband network, and to promote the IMB technology to matureness and commercialization."

The companies are aiming to commence interoperability testing in Q3 2010.