93PA Ecobank 24s

RNS Number:8682A
Ericsson(L.M.)(Telefonaktiebolaget)
21 March 2001


Ericsson, Motorola and Siemens to develop industry initiative for Universal
Mobile Games Platform

-  Mobile  leaders define API's for Mobile Games Platform; benefiting operators,
developers, and consumers.


Ericsson, Motorola, Inc. and Siemens Information and Communication Mobile, today
announced  plans to develop an industry initiative to define a universal  mobile
games platform, using existing and emerging standards. With this initiative, the
three  companies aim to help mobile operators offer a broad selection  of  games
content and to provide developers with a standardized platform. Mobile consumers
will benefit through a rich, interactive, multiplayer game experience.


Mobile operators and developers of mobile games are faced with an overwhelming
array of choices for mobile game services and lack a platform that is open,
standard and  extensible.  Without  such a  platform,  operators  face  greater
complexity and cost in offering a wide range of games that access their  network
functionality, such  as  billing, authentication  and  location  services.  The
initiative will focus  initial  efforts on  agreeing  upon  open  Applications
Programming Interfaces (APIs) and a Software Development Kit (SDK), which,  once
developed, will be available to software developers subject to license.  The
three companies expect to have specifications available in Q3 of this year.

Once the initiative is formally launched, Ericsson, Motorola and Siemens plan to
work with other industry leaders and innovators to extend the benefits of  this
universal  games  platform, including mobile phone and infrastructure  vendors,
platform technology providers, games developers, mobile operators, games service
providers and systems integrators. The objectives of the proposed initiative are
to:

 - Support  mobile  network operators and Application Service Providers  (ASPs) 
   to deliver the most compelling selection of applications

 - Attract  games developers to create applications that can easily be deployed 
   to reach the largest number of mobile consumers

 - Supply consumers worldwide with access to a wide variety of engaging         
   interactive mobile  games  content  -  driving the demand for next generation
   networks and devices

"We believe that offering compelling mobile games will act as an effective 
catalyst for the Mobile Internet market as a whole, so we are convinced that
operators, as well as the game developing community, will benefit greatly   from
this initiative,"  said  Jan Lindgren, vice president of Ericsson Internet
Applications. "Our aim is to promote an open approach to the mobile games market
by supporting current - and future  - standards and by collaborating with all 
interested industry players.  This co-operative approach clearly demonstrates
Ericsson's  strategy  of supporting network operators wherever and whenever we
can."
                
"We're seeing that developers of mobile games are resorting to writing their own
platforms or having to multiply the efforts to support many platforms," said Tim
Krauskopf, vice president and general manager of Core Solutions for Motorola's
Internet Software and Content Group. "As a result, costs are increasing and
distribution options are limited. As an industry we need to provide an
integrated development environment that unites mobile Networks,  devices and
game servers as a mass market games console."

"One of the Siemens IC Mobile objectives is to make it possible for users in 
Tokyo to sit and play a multi-player game with some friends in Washington and
Munich at the same time,  on different networks and platforms, with various
models of mobile phones," said Thorsten Heins, President of Solutions within 
the Siemens Information and Communication Mobile Group.

Ericsson, Motorola, and Siemens have agreed to work with Metrowerks,  a leading 
development tools organization, to support this platform with the company's  
CodeWarrior(R) Integrated  Development Environment  (IDE).  CodeWarrior, a
leading IDE for the consumer and wireless markets, is used by the majority of 
developers for Sony Playstation 2,  Nintendo GameCube, and Palm OS, and also 
supports Java (J2ME for wireless) and Symbian.  With more than 400,000 
developers worldwide  using CodeWarrior development tools, Metrowerks  will
play a major role in expanding the developer community for this platform.

Developer support, test facilities and application certification will be
provided through Ericsson Mobility World, which includes Ericsson Developers'  
Zone, Motorola's Applications Global Network (MAGNET) Program, and Siemens'
relevant program.

Ericsson is the leading communications supplier, combining innovation in
mobility and Internet in creating the new era of mobile  Internet.  Ericsson
provides total solutions covering everything  from systems and applications to
mobile phones and other communications tools. With more than 100,000 employees
in 140 countries,  Ericsson simplifies communications for customers all over the
world.

                
Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/press

                
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Eva Sparr, Director of Communications,
Ericsson Internet Applications
Phone: +46 8 508 76 553; 
E-mail: eva.sparr@lme.ericsson.se
                          

USA Press Contact for Ericsson:
Kathy Egan, Vice President Communications,
Ericsson Inc.
Phone: +1 212 685 4030, 
E-mail: kathy.egan@ericsson.com

USA Press Contact for Motorola:
David Rudd, Motorola Public Relations
Phone: +1 847 576 7089; 
Email: david.rudd@motorola.com
                
EMEA Press Contact for Motorola:
Patrick Hamilton, PR & Marketing Communications Manager
Motorola
Phone: +44 7715 175 043; 
Email:patrick.hamilton@motorola.com

                
Press Contact for Siemens:
Axel J. Schafmeister, Press Spokesperson
Siemens Information and Communication Mobile
Phone: +49 170 63 29 546; 
E-mail:axel.schafmeister@mch.siemens.de

                
USA Press Contact for Siemens:
Esra Ozer, PR Manager
Siemens Corporation
Phone: +1 212 258 4348; 
E-mail: esra.ozer@sc.siemens.com

Motorola  Inc.  (NYSE:MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated 
communications  and embedded electronic solutions. Sales  in 2000 were $37.6
billion. More information can be found at Motorola's company Web site:
www.motorola.com

                
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered trademarks of Motorola, Inc. (R)
Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm.  Off.  Copyright 2001, Motorola, Inc.  All rights reserved.
Printed in the U.S.A.  Other product and company names herein may be trademarks 
of their respective owners.
                
The Siemens Information and Communication Mobile Group (IC Mobile) offers,  the 
complete range of mobile solutions including mobile devices, infrastructure and
applications. Devices include mobile phones, wireless modules, mobile
organizers, cordless and corded phones as well as products for wireless home 
networks. The infrastructure portfolio includes the complete range of mobile
network technologies from base stations and switching systems to intelligent 
networks,  e.g. for  prepaid services.  Applications cover UMTS services for
Unified Messaging, Location Based Services, and Mobile Payment. For the fiscal
year 2000 (which ended September 30, 2000),  IC Mobile recorded sales of EUR 9
billion and EBIT of EUR 758 million. The group employs 27,450 employees
worldwide.

For further information about Siemens IC Mobile, please visit our home page:
www.siemens.com/mobile

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