France Telecom, Sagem, Thomson to form R&D venture - report (France)France Telecom will form joint venture with Sagem and Thomson, writes Les Echos. The tie-up would serve to develop common standards to allow different types of electronic devices to communicate better with each other. The future entity already has a code name, HNSA, standing for “home network software applications”. According to unnamed sources, France Telecom’s two partners, both manufacturers of the quad-play operator’s Livebox, would each hold 20 percent of HNSA, with France Telecom owning the remaining 60 percent. France Telecom CEO Didier Lombard hopes to offer stakes to other manufacturers or operators as well, thus helping to develop a truly common convergence standard making media centres/STBs accessible via mobile phones and the internet. Orange France is the domestic market leader with 5.2 million installed Liveboxes and 800,000 ADSL TV customers. The formation of HNSA is not only motivated by the desire to prevent companies from large markets such as the US and China from controlling future standards, but to allow France Telecom and its partners to file patents and collect royalties.
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