(Hickory, N.C.) Andrew LLC, a subsidiary of CommScope, Inc., has filed a complaint in the US District Court in Delaware seeking a declaratory judgment that its new multiple range estimation location (MREL) system for locating mobile devices does not infringe an existing US patent held by TruePosition, Inc.

The same patent was the subject of previous litigation between the two companies, including a judgment now under appeal by Andrew, the CommScope division that is a world leader in wireless communications systems and products.

“As communications carriers seek to stay ahead of customer demand for location applications, Andrew plans to address these needs with solutions that include MREL,” said Eddie Edwards, executive vice president and general manager, Wireless Network Solutions, Andrew. “We want to do so free of possible patent issues, clearing the way for customers to enjoy the additional benefits that MREL brings to Andrew’s GeoLENs™ portfolio of caller location solutions for communications networks.”

Andrew’s new, innovative MREL location system that uses time of arrival (TOA) range ring technology was developed to meet or exceed performance metrics offered by other high-accuracy technologies, such as uplink time difference of arrival (U-TDOA), in most environments. The TruePosition patent in question, US Pat. No. 5,327,144, is limited to certain U-TDOA applications.

“We strongly believe MREL does not infringe on any existing TruePosition patents, and we filed this complaint after making a good faith effort to work with them to gain their acknowledgement of this position,” Edwards said. “We want the marketplace to be free of the threat of future legal actions and allegations, and want customers to able to choose for themselves which location systems are best for their network needs.”

GeoLENs and MREL

Since its first installations in 2001 for E911 mobile caller location, Andrew has been a leader in providing innovative, reliable caller location solutions for wireless networks. Today, Andrew’s GeoLENs (GeoLocation-Enabled Network solutions) is a complete portfolio focused on location-enabling public wireless, wired broadband, internet service provider, and enterprise and government IP networks, placing the capability of locating devices into the network. With GeoLENs, Andrew offers a complete hybrid platform for integrating location technologies and techniques for both wireless and wireline networks.

The patent-pending MREL, part of the GeoLENs portfolio introduced in July, will be ideal for mobile operators that are supporting FCC E911 Phase II requirements, commercial location-based services (LBS) and security applications. Unlike U-TDOA, MREL does not rely on time differences of signal arrival at multiple sensor sites. In certain environments, it is able to generate accurate location information with just two sensor sites using absolute times of signal transmission and arrival. U-TDOA alone cannot generate accurate location information with anything less than three sensor sites.

Testing shows that in a comprehensive set of environments, MREL offers a high accuracy location capability in areas where A-GPS and U-TDOA may fail. MREL coupled with the other location technologies available in GeoLENs provides the most comprehensive and competitive location solution on the market today, both for LBS and E911 applications.

CommScope, Inc. (NYSE: CTV) (www.commscope.com) is a world leader in infrastructure solutions for communication networks. Through its Andrew Solutions™ brand, it is a global leader in radio frequency subsystem solutions for wireless networks. Through its SYSTIMAX® and Uniprise® brands, CommScope is a world leader in network infrastructure solutions, delivering a complete end-to-end physical layer solution, including cables and connectivity, enclosures, intelligent software and network design services, for business enterprise applications. CommScope also is the premier manufacturer of coaxial cable for broadband cable television networks and one of the leading North American providers of environmentally secure cabinets for DSL and FTTN applications. Backed by strong research and development, CommScope combines technical expertise and proprietary technology with global manufacturing capability to provide customers with infrastructure solutions for evolving global communications networks in more than 130 countries around the world.