Microsoft Corp. and Ericsson today announced a strategic partnership to develop end-to-end solutions for the wireless Internet, based on a shared vision of convenient and fast access to information any time, anywhere, from any device. Ericsson and Microsoft will form a joint company to market and deliver mobile e-mail solutions for network operators. Ericsson will own the majority share of the new company.
As part of the partnership -- the first between the two companies -- Ericsson will provide its Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) stack to Microsoft and will adopt Microsoft® Mobile Explorer for feature phones, giving operators, developers and consumers more choice and functionality in developing, delivering and accessing wireless information and services.
The joint company will focus on building, marketing and deploying solutions that utilize the Microsoft Windows NT® Server and Exchange platforms, and Ericsson's infrastructure and mobile Internet technologies. This will give wireless operators access to the most reliable and feature-rich communications and mobile data infrastructure.
"The mobile Internet is part of Ericsson's vision of convenient and user-friendly information access and wireless e-mail," said Kurt Hellström, president of Ericsson. "Bringing together Microsoft's strengths in Internet and enterprise messaging software and our leadership as an open communications solutions provider of mobile voice and data will offer tremendous ease of use for consumers all over the world."
"Mobile Internet access and services are crucial for realizing Microsoft's vision of empowering knowledge workers and consumers through software any time, anywhere and on any device," said Steve Ballmer, president, Microsoft. "As the world leader in mobility and mobile communications, Ericsson is an ideal partner to help deliver this vision. This partnership is a strong confirmation of our commitment to help the industry deploy new mobile products and services worldwide."
Microsoft and Ericsson also agreed to collaborate in their support of developing open industry standards -- including Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), Wireless Application Protocol and Bluetooth -- enabling next-generation wireless solutions that work more seamlessly with local area networks and other electronics products.
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