Introducing Zi, Alcatel's latest partner ...
Zi Corporation Licenses eZiText to Alcatel
[Backgrounder: Zi's technology is a leading candidate to be the de facto standard for input of Chinese characters into a variety of electronic devices including cell phones, set-top boxes, computers etc. Alcatel joins Ericcson as a licensee - now if only Nortel, Nokia and Motorola can fall in line!
Chinese is of course only one language but their partnership with the Chinese Ministry of Information Industries and the Chinese Ministry of Education makes for a particularly compelling investment opportunity, IMO.
Zi's home page is at zicorp.com and the Zi thread on SI is at Subject 2602 ]
CALGARY, ALBERTA, Canada--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 21, 1999--Zi Corporation (TSE: ZIC; NASDAQ: ZICA) announced today that it has signed a licensing and royalty agreement with Alcatel of France. The agreement covers the use of Zi's intuitive language processing software, eZiText(TM), for European and ideographic languages, including 13 European languages, Chinese and Japanese. Alcatel will integrate Zi's software in its products, including its new line-up of GSM digital phones.
"This is a landmark agreement for our company and given its significance, management felt the market should be notified immediately," said Michael Lobsinger, chairman and chief executive officer, Zi Corporation. "We expect to issue a joint statement with Alcatel in the near future."
The agreement is important to Zi, as Alcatel is one of the top five GSM cellular phone manufacturers, with a world market share of 10 per cent. In 1998 alone, Alcatel's phone shipments were about 8 million units.
Zi Corporation is a software company making modern electronic technology more accessible to people in a way that is consistent with their language and culture. The company's eZiText(TM) input software is licensed in several languages for devices ranging from mobile phones to TV set-top boxes.
Zi's common shares trade on both the Toronto Stock
Exchange (ZIC) and the NASDAQ stock market (ZICA). Zi markets its technology through strategic partnerships
worldwide from offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, San Francisco and Calgary.
Alcatel builds next generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data communications solutions to established and new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. With 120,000 employees and sales of EURO 21.3 billion (US$25.0 billion), Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" ... [snip]
Contact:
Zi Corporation
Karen Attwell, 403) 233-8875
Email: investor@zicorp.com
URL: zicorp.com |
