Mobile Operators to Define Requirements for Open Mobile Terminal
Platform LONDON, June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A group of
mobile operators today announced its intention to define widely
accepted requirements for an open mobile terminal platform
("OMTP"). The founding members of this initiative are mmO2, NTT
DoCoMo, Orange, SMART Communications, Telefonica Moviles, TIM
(Telecom Italia Mobile), T-Mobile and Vodafone. These members will
today establish* a new organisation based in London, OMTP Limited
("the OMTP group"), to achieve their goals. The OMTP group aims to
define those platform requirements necessary for mobile devices to
deliver openly available standardised application interfaces that
will provide customers with a more consistent and improved user
experience across different devices, whilst also enabling
individual operators and manufacturers to customise and
differentiate their offering. The OMTP group intends to achieve its
goals by identifying common mobile operators' requirements, with
the aim of establishing an open framework for mobile device
manufacturers and associated software and hardware suppliers to
develop open mobile terminal platform compliant products. The OMTP
group aims to use existing standards, where they exist, and to
further encourage the development of standards by presenting OMTP
requirements. As a technology neutral organisation, all technology
vendors will be free to contribute to and support OMTP requirements
and to provide OMTP compliant products. The OMTP group is an open
association, with membership or participation available to
organisations wanting to adopt OMTP requirements, to assist the
process of achieving the OMTP group's goals or simply to follow the
latest efforts and results of the OMTP group. The following
companies have expressed their intent to join the OMTP group:
Amena, Hutchinson/3, KPN, One Austria, SFR and Telenor. Mobile
operators, mobile device manufacturers, software and hardware
suppliers interested in participating in the OMTP group can find
more information on the OMTP group's website, http://www.omtp.org/.
Notes to Editors: * Same day Incorporation Application to be
submitted today, Wednesday 23 June 2004. For further information
please contact: mmO2 David Nicholas Simon Gordon Director of
Communications Press Relations Manager E-mail: E-mail: Tel: +44 (0)
771 575 9176 Tel: +44 (0)771 007 0698 O2 press office: +44 (0) 1753
628402. NTT DoCoMo Eijun Tanaka and Takuya Ori International PR
Public Relations Department E-mail: Tel: +81-3-5156-1366 Fax:
+81-3-5501-3408 Orange Group Katie Wood Lucy Thoubboron E-mail:
E-mail: Tel: +44 7968 534 796 SMART Communications, Inc. Ramon S.
Isberto Head, Public Affairs E-mail: Tel: +632 511 3101 Fax: +632
511 3101 Telecom Italia Mobile Gabriele Sciacca TIM Press Office
Head of TIM Press Office Tel: + 39 06 3688 2499 Fax: + 39 06 3688
2102 Roberta Vivenzio Tel: + 39 06 3688 2610 Fax: + 39 06 3688 2102
Marina Marchetti Telefonica Moviles Javier Garcia E-mail: Tel: +34
680014607 T Mobile Elaine Devereux Email: Tel: +44 (0) 7950 396249
Vodafone Group Jon Earl Janine Young E-mail: E-mail: Tel: +44
(0)1635 673310 Tel: +44 (0)1635 673310 Emma Conlon E-mail: Tel: +44
(0)1635 673310 mmO2 mmO2 has 100% ownership of mobile network
operators in three countries -- the UK, Germany and Ireland -- as
well as leading mobile Internet portal business. All of these
businesses are branded as O2. Additionally, the company has
operations on the Isle of Man (Manx Telecom) and owns O2 Airwave --
an advanced, digital emergency communications service. mmO2 was the
first company in the world to launch and rollout a commercial GPRS
(or 2.5G) network and has secured third generation mobile telephony
("3G") licences in the UK, Ireland and Germany. mmO2 has nearly 21
million customers and some 13,000 employees. It reported revenues
for the year ended 31 March 2004 of 5.646 billion pounds Sterling.
Data represented 22.0% of total service revenues in the quarter
ending 31 March 2004. All mmO2 Group news releases can be accessed
at our web site: http://www.mmo2.com/ NTT DoCoMo NTT DoCoMo is the
world's leading mobile communications company with more than 48
million customers. The company provides a wide variety of
leading-edge mobile multimedia services. These include i-mode(R),
the world's most popular mobile internet service, which provides
e-mail and internet access to over 41 million subscribers, and
FOMA(R), launched in 2001 as the world's first 3G mobile service
based on W-CDMA. In addition to wholly owned subsidiaries in Europe
and North America, the company is expanding its global reach
through strategic alliances with mobile and multimedia service
providers in Asia- Pacific, Europe and North America. NTT DoCoMo is
listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM), and New York (DCM) stock
exchanges. For more information, visit http://www.nttdocomo.com/
i-mode and FOMA are trademarks or registered trademarks of NTT
DoCoMo, Inc. in Japan and other countries. NTT DoCoMo's FOMA
service is only available to subscribers in Japan. Orange Orange
and wirefree are trademarks of Orange PCS. The Orange group is one
of the world's largest mobile communications companies, with
operations in 19 countries across Europe and beyond. It provides a
broad range of personal communications services, including Orange
GSM1800 services and other digital cellular telephone services. The
Orange brand operates in the UK, France, Switzerland, Romania,
Denmark, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Thailand, the Ivory Coast, the
Dominican Republic, Cameroon, the Netherlands, Botswana and
Madagascar. The Orange group also has controlled operations in
Belgium (Mobistar). The Orange group has a joint controlling
interest in Egypt (MobiNil) and minority interests in Portugal
(Optimus), Austria (One), and Mumbai/India (BPL Mobile). As at the
end of March 2004, Orange was the largest mobile operator in both
the UK with 13.8 million active customers, and France with 20.4
million registered customers. As at the end of March 2004, Orange
controlled companies had over 50 million customers worldwide.
Orange, along with TIM, Telefonica and T-Mobile, is a founding
member of the FreeMove alliance. Further information about Orange
can be found on the Orange website at http://www.orange.com/. SMART
Communications SMART Communications is the Philippines' leading
wireless services provider with 15 million subscribers on its GSM
network. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance
Telephone Company, the country's largest telecommunications
carrier, SMART has introduced award-winning, world- first wireless
services, including mobile commerce services such as Smart Money
and Smart Load. It is a founding member of the Asian Mobility
Initiative which promotes cooperation in the development of
wireless services among its seven member-operators. Further
information about SMART can be found at http://www.smart.com.ph/
TIM TIM (Telecom Italia Group) is the leading Italian mobile
operator with 26.1 million lines, and with its subsidiaries and
associate companies in Europe, South America and the Mediterranean
basin has reached an overall number of 47.7 million lines (as of
March 31, 2004). In a competitive environment, featuring a high
rate of market penetration and rapid technological innovation, TIM
has consolidated its leadership position opening Italy up to the
mass market and has made it one of the most advanced markets in
Europe. Strong financial capabilities, a solid patrimonial
structure, a footprint in international markets with high
development rates, the leadership in innovation and testing new
technologies, the acclaimed and solid brand name, flexibility and a
high professional profile are all factors that have given TIM a key
role in the new mobile environment. For further information about
TIM please visit http://www.tim.it/. Telefonica Moviles Telefonica
Moviles is one of the world's largest mobile operators and the
leading cellular company in the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking
markets. At 31 March 2004, Telefonica Moviles' customer base
reached 66 million managed clients in 16 countries, as a result of
the agreement to acquire the cellular assets of BellSouth in Latin
America. During 2003, Telefonica Moviles obtained revenues of
10.070 billion euros, or 10.2% more than in 2002. EBITDA rose 19.5%
to 4.463 billion euros, while net profit totalled 1.608 billion
euros. Telefonica Moviles is a founding member of the FreeMove
alliance of European mobile operators. The company's shares trade
on the Spanish stock exchanges and the New York Stock Exchange
under the ticker symbol TEM. For further information, see our
website at http://www.telefonicamoviles.com/ T Mobile T-Mobile
International is one of the world's leading companies in mobile
communications. As one of Deutsche Telecom's four strategic
divisions, T- Mobile concentrates on the most dynamic markets in
Europe and the United States. By the end of the first quarter 2004,
more than 96 million people were using the mobile communications
services provided by companies in which T- Mobile or Deutsche
Telekom have a majority or minority stake. And all that over a
common technology platform based on GSM, the world's most
successful digital wireless standard. This also makes T-Mobile the
only mobile communications provider with a seamless transatlantic
service. Vodafone Vodafone is the world's largest mobile community
with 133.4 million proportionate customers, equity interests in 26
countries and Partner Networks in a further 13 countries. For
further information about Vodafone, please visit the Vodafone Group
website: http://www.vodafone.com/. Vodafone is a trade mark of the
Vodafone Group. Other product and company names mentioned herein
may be the trade marks of their respective owners. DATASOURCE:
Vodafone CONTACT: David Nicholas, Director of Communications,
+44-771-575-9176, or O2 press office, +44-1753-628402, , or Simon
Gordon, Press Relations Manager, +44-771-007-0698, , both of mmO2;
or Eijun Tanaka, or Takuya Ori, International PR, Public Relations
Department, +81-3-5156-1366, or Fax, +81-3-5501-3408, , both of NTT
DoCoMo; or Lucy Thoubboron, +44-7968-534-796, , or Katie Wood, ,
both of Orange Group; or Ramon S. Isberto, Head, Public Affairs of
SMART Communications, Inc., +632-511-3101, or Fax, +632-511-3101, ;
or Gabriele Sciacca, Head of TIM Press Office, +39-06-3688-2610, or
Fax, +39-06-3688-2102, , or Roberta Vivenzio, , or Marina
Marchetti, , TIM Press Office, +39-06-3688-2499, or Fax,
+39-06-3688-2102, all of Telecom Italia Mobile; or Javier Garcia of
Telefonica Moviles, +34-680014607, ; or Elaine Devereux of T
Mobile, +44-7950-396249, ; or Jon Earl, +44-1635-673310, , or
Janine Young, +44-1635-673310, , or Emma Conlon, +44-1635-673310, ,
all of Vodafone Group Web site: http://www.vodafone.com/
http://www.telefonicamoviles.com/ http://www.tim.it/
http://www.smart.com.ph/ http://www.orange.com/
http://www.nttdocomo.com/ http://www.mmo2.com/
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