Mobile Operators to Define Requirements for Open Mobile Terminal Platform

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: [phone]            Tel: [phone]
  O2 press office: [phone].

  NTT DoCoMo
  Eijun Tanaka and Takuya Ori
  International PR
  Public Relations Department
  E-mail: 
  Tel: [phone]
  Fax: [phone]

  Orange Group                         Katie Wood
  Lucy Thoubboron                      E-mail: 
  E-mail: 
  Tel: [phone]

  SMART Communications, Inc.
  Ramon S. Isberto
  Head, Public Affairs
  E-mail: 
  Tel: [phone]
  Fax: [phone]

  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: [phone]

  T Mobile
  Elaine Devereux
  Email: 
  Tel: [phone]

  Vodafone Group
  Jon Earl                              Janine Young
  E-mail:          E-mail: 
  Tel: [phone]               Tel: [phone]

  Emma Conlon
  E-mail: 
  Tel: [phone]

  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,

[phone], or O2 press office, [phone], ,

or Simon Gordon, Press Relations Manager, [phone],

, both of mmO2; or Eijun Tanaka, or Takuya Ori,

International PR, Public Relations Department, [phone], or Fax,

[phone], , both of NTT DoCoMo; or Lucy

Thoubboron, [phone], , or Katie Wood,

, both of Orange Group; or Ramon S. Isberto, Head,

Public Affairs of SMART Communications, Inc., [phone], or Fax,

[phone], ; or Gabriele Sciacca, Head of TIM Press

Office, [phone], or Fax, [phone],

, or Roberta Vivenzio,

, or Marina Marchetti,

, TIM Press Office, [phone], or Fax,

[phone], all of Telecom Italia Mobile; or Javier Garcia of Telefonica

Moviles, [phone], ; or Elaine Devereux of T Mobile,

[phone], ; or Jon Earl, [phone],

, or Janine Young, [phone],

, or Emma Conlon, [phone],

, 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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