Telesp Celular, South America's Largest CDMA Cellular Operator, Launches Mobile Internet Service Using Phone.com's UP.Link Server and MyPhone Application Platform
PR Newswire, 07/13/2000 09:17
Phone.com Enables Accelerated Time-to-Market for Brazilian Wireless
Network Operator
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Phone.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:PHCM), a leading provider of mobile Internet software, applications and services, today announced that Brazilian wireless carrier, Telesp Celular S.A. (NYSE:TCP), the largest CDMA cellular operator in South America, has launched wireless Internet access service using the Phone.com UP. Link(TM) Server and MyPhone(TM) applications. The launch comes just five weeks after the announcement that Telesp Celular had signed an agreement to license Phone.com's UP.Link Server. The Brazilian carrier is the first cellular company in Sao Paulo State to offer Internet access from the mobile handset.
In a quick time-to-market, Phone.com and Telesp have worked together to bring wireless access to the carrier's broad subscriber base. According to Telesp, 500,000 subscribers are expected to be using WAP-enabled CDMA handsets by December 2000. Motorola(TM), Nokia(TM), LG(TM), Gradiente(TM), Samsung(TM), Kyocera/Qualcomm(TM) and Ericsson(TM) handsets will be available in different models in Telesp Celular's own stores and at the more than 2,500 points of sale in Sao Paulo State. Telesp subscribers can enjoy the benefits of real-time access to Internet-based information content and services, including email, banking, news, traffic conditions, restaurant and movie recommendations, horoscopes, games and other services designed to enhance the user's mobile experience. Phone.com's MyPhone enables network operators to provide subscribers with real-time access to important information from wireless Web phones or via personal computers. MyPhone is a suite of powerful communication and personal information management applications integrated into a single, fully personalized service for next generation universal access Internet portals. MyPhone provides communication-centric applications like electronic mail and personal information management
"We are extremely pleased to have enabled Telesp Celular to bring the wireless Internet to market by providing access to content and applications for their mobile subscribers in such an impressively short time frame," said Tony Miranzadeh, vice president and general manager of Asia Pacific and Latin America for Phone.com. "This is the result of Phone.com's drive to bring its market-leading technology into key markets around the globe."
The relationship marks the coming together of two market leaders, with Phone.com being a founding member of the WAP Forum and a pioneer in the convergence of mobile phones and the Internet, and Telesp Celular being the largest CDMA carrier in South America. To date, Phone.com has licensed its UP.Link Server to over 60 wireless network operators throughout the world.
About Telesp Celular
Telesp Celular Participacoes S.A. (NYSE:TCP; BOVESPA; TSPP3 (Ord), TSPP4 (Pref)) ("TCP"), the largest cellular operator in South America with more than 3.1 million clients is known for its innovation. Telesp Celular's data transmission network will give clients with WAP cellular handsets access in real time to selected services including news, stock prices, weather reports, movies and theater programs and schedules, horoscopes, etc. The company covers 98% of Sao Paulo State's area. Visit telespcelular.com.br .
About Phone.com
Phone.com, Inc. is a leading provider of software, applications, and services that enable the delivery of Internet-based information and voice services to mass-market wireless telephones. Using its software, wireless subscribers have access to Internet- and corporate intranet-based services, including Email, news, stocks, weather, travel and sports. In addition, subscribers have access via their wireless telephones to network operators' intranet-based telephony services, which may include over-the-air activation, call management, billing history information, pricing plan subscription and voice message management. Phone.com is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California and has regional offices in Belfast, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Paris, Seoul and Tokyo. Visit phone.com for more information.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, Phone.com's limited operating history, potential fluctuations in Phone.com's operating results, uncertainties related to Phone.com's long sales cycle and reliance on a small number of customers, Phone.com's dependence on the acceptance of its products by network operators and wireless subscribers, Phone.com's ability to adequately address the rapidly-evolving market for delivery of Internet-based services through wireless telephones, the need to achieve widespread integration of Phone.com's browser in wireless telephones, competition from companies with substantially greater financial, technical, marketing and distribution resources and the ability of Phone.com to manage a complex set of engineering, marketing and distribution relationships. Further information regarding these and other risks are included in Phone.com's Form 10-Q for quarters ended September 30, 1999, December 31, 1999, and March 31, 1999, and in its prospectus dated November 16, 1999 and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
NOTE: The Phone.com name and logo, MyPhone, and the family of terms carrying the "UP." prefix are trademarks of Phone.com, Inc. All other company, brand and product names may be marks that are the sole property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Whitney Gould , 415-369-8108, or whitney_gould@pr21.com, or Rowan Benecke, 415-369-8102, both of PR21 for Phone.com, Inc.; or Kylie Trevitt of Text 100 Ltd. in the UK, +44-0-181-242-4172, or kyliet@text100.co.uk, for Phone.com (Europe) Limited; or K.K.Masaaki of Phone.com JapanK.K., +81-3-5325-9703, or masaaki@corp.phone.com. SOURCE Phone.com, Inc.
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/CONTACT: Whitney Gould , 415-369-8108, or whitney_gould@pr21.com, or Rowan Benecke, 415-369-8102, both of PR21 for Phone.com, Inc.; or Kylie Trevitt of Text 100 Ltd. in the UK, +44-0-181-242-4172, or kyliet@text100.co.uk, for Phone.com (Europe) Limited; or K.K.Masaaki of Phone.com Japan K.K., +81-3-5325-9703, or masaaki@corp.phone.com/ |
