Nokia (NYSE: NOK), the world leader in mobile communications, today announced the availability of new mobile phone software that can be adapted to support the GSMA M-Services proposal and serve as the foundation of a standards-based collaborative approach to browser and messaging software development.
While Nokia has successfully licensed the browser implementation that runs in Nokia phones outside of Nokia, the emphasis now is on collaboration, not solely on licensing deals.
"There are tremendous benefits yet to be realized from the wireless Internet," said Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President, Nokia Mobile Phones. "Nokia is convinced that GSMA is accelerating the process in a way that is beneficial to the entire industry. To make that vision a reality, mobile phone and service platform manufacturers like Nokia must play a central role in creating the software and the services that will attract users and increase revenue. We are committed to building those solutions ourselves and in conjunction with other mobile phone companies. In addition, Nokia is working with other manufacturers to ensure the interoperability between mobile devices and service platforms."
Nokia has taken the first concrete steps toward the creation of this new software platform by also announcing today the immediate availability of the beta version of the Nokia Mobile Browser 3.0. This browser natively supports both WML (Wireless Markup Language) 1.2.1, including push and the telephony features of WTAI (Wireless Telephony Application Interface) as well as XHTML (Extensible Hyper Text Markup Language) with Cascading Style Sheets. The browser is available in source code form for licensing by other mobile phone manufacturers interested in adding the latest functionality to their product lines.
The Nokia Mobile Browser 3.0 has also been designed to work seamlessly with Nokia Smart Messaging, which is already the world's most popular mechanism for downloading and interacting with content such as ring tones on a mobile phone. In an effort to spread the success of Smart Messaging, Nokia has also published the complete technical specification so that other companies can adopt this proven technology.
Nokia expects that new areas of collaborative development could include advanced browser implementations, standard multimedia messaging clients, and tighter integration between the browser applications such as content downloading and messaging.
"As a standalone product, the Nokia Mobile Browser 3.0 is valuable," said Vesa Wallden, Director of Browser Technology for Nokia Mobile Phones. "However, its real importance is as the basis of a collaboration that can be shared across the industry. All the building blocks are in place: XHTML, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), WML, Content Downloading, Push, WTAI. Now we need to develop a consistent user experience that draws on the expertise of handset vendors and mobile operators."
Nokia expects to announce the first of these collaborations with other manufacturers later this summer.
As is the case with Nokia's current WAP browser, Nokia will license the browser source code to other handset manufacturers, mobile phone operators, service providers, and others. Licensing information is available from www.nokia.com. The new software will support current WAP content, WML, as well as the new XHTML standard, ensuring both backward compatibility and the promise of exciting, next generation services. In addition, the software is designed to be extended so that its functionality can grow along with the capabilities coming in GPRS networks and new phone hardware designs.
Nokia will collaborate with a number of companies on XHTML application technology and content creation tools. The first XHTML developer's kit from Nokia will be available next month. Nokia Server support will coincide with the release of the developer's kit.
Earlier this year, Nokia and numerous other industry leaders in the mobile and content industries announced that they are supporting the XHTML markup language (Extensible Hyper Text Markup Language) as the format for the future evolution of mobile services. The companies also expressed their intention to develop products, content and services based on the XHTML language. XHTML is the natural evolution of the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), which brings the WAP and the fixed Internet (WWW) worlds together.
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