TIM SELECTS SARITEL FOR COMMERCIAL WAP LAUNCH USING PHONE.COM'S PLATFORM
Phone.com,
Inc. (Nasdaq:PHCM) a leading provider of mobile Internet software and services,
in conjunction with Saritel, the Internet Factory of Telecom Italia Group, have
been chosen by Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM), the largest mobile operator in
Europe, to implement a commercial Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)-based
platform. Under the terms of the agreement, Saritel will provide a WAP-Gateway
solution to TIM using the Phone.com™ WAP-compatible UP.Link™ Server Release
4. This will enable TIM to offer new wireless Internet services to its 18.5
million (at 31 December 1999) mobile customers throughout Italy. TIM's service
is expected to be launched commercially in a few months.
The new TIM services will be accessed through mobile phones equipped with a
WAP-compatible microbrowser such as the Phone.com UP.Browser™ microbrowser or
any other compliant to the most recent WAP technical specification. Phone.com's
UP.Link Server software will enable TIM to offer mobile customers access to a
wide range of TIM Internet based information services such as travel, news,
electronic customer care, and email. TIM's WAP-based information services will
also be combined with other Intelligent Network services to provide a compliment
to GSM Phase 2+ and GPRS data service enhancements.
"Phone.com software delivers a WAP-compatible platform which will allow
our offering of powerful services like news, banking, lottery, and horoscopes,"
said Mauro Sentinelli, TIM's managing director. "As we deploy
WAP-microbrowser-enabled handsets, we expect to see a tremendous growth in
services and use of the network."
The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is an open, global specification that
empowers mobile users with wireless devices to easily access and interact with
information and services. Phone.com was a founding member of the WAP Forum, the
industry association comprising of over 300member companies. The forum has
developed the de-facto world standard for wireless information and telephony
services on digital mobile phones.
"Phone.com's expertise in WAP is allowing us to deliver a unique, quick
to market and tailored solution to TIM," said Fabio Cammarano, chief
executive officer for Saritel. "European companies are leading the world
with innovative web enabled cellular services and Saritel is now the most
important player in system integration of such solutions. Through the alliance
with Phone.com, we are able to deliver these great solutions to operators like
TIM."
"TIM's willingness to maintain a leadership position in the GSM world,
combined with Phone.com's innovative WAP product line, will form a solid
foundation for a wealth of advanced services and applications for the Italian
public," said Alain Rossmann, chairman and chief executive officer for
Phone.com. "This is another example of Phone.com's product leadership in
WAP solutions - with accelerated time to market and unmatched features,
reliability and scalability."
The Phone.com UP.Link Server Suite is in its fourth generation, providing a
scalable and robust implementation of the WAP protocol suite. Since 1997,
Phone.com's solutions have been licensed to over 50 of the world's leading
operator networks.
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