Blog

<p>There are not many things that remain currently relevant in communications technology that predate the founding of InterDigital, in 1972. One is ARPANET, the first computer-to-computer data transmission network, which first transmitted&nbsp;near&nbsp;this date in 1969&nbsp;and which recently celebrated the 40th anniversay of its grand coming-out party at the Washington Hilton Hotel.</p>
<p>The idea that sharing data among devices might be valuable leads in a straight road to where the world - and InterDigital - is today. EDN's Suzanne Deffree has <a target="_blank">a great piece</a>&nbsp;on the first ever computer to computer link: the scientists managed to transmit "LO" - the first two letters of the intended message, "login" - before the system crashed. Anyone who has had an important wireless call die in mid-conversation will sympathize...</p>
<p>Ars Technica had a tremendous piece last year on <a target="_blank">the technology's grand coming-out party</a>&nbsp;in Washington in October of 1972, the same year InterDigital was founded. The first point on the conference agenda remains, today, what drives most technology, including us here at InterDigital: "This conference is not just another rehash of the technology of bits and bandwidths. It will deal with what all this is good for -- what the user problems and results are."</p>