STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct. 27, 2000 (PRIMEZONE) -- Swedish Xpedio and Japanese Access, has formed a partnership to develop and market solutions for mobile Internet based on the cHTML format used in i-mode and future upcoming standards.
We are very happy to present this partnership, says Gustaf Rosell, CEO of Xpedio. Our solutions complement each other's beautifully. Unknown to many people outside of Japan, Access has been a key player in the phenomenal growth of i-mode in Japan, supplying almost all browsers to the i-mode phones. Access' browser is simply the best mobile client platform for rich content and it currently powers over 70 different commercial applications. It is time to give the world outside Japan the same opportunities as the Japanese.
The two companies will co-operate in offering complete service solutions to operators, especially mobile virtual operators (MVNOs) and wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs), in Europe and the United States. The partners' solutions give an unparalleled strong service portfolio for content distribution, messaging, personalized information services and portals. Combined they will also result in a platform for development and deployment of several other kinds of mobile Internet solutions.
Xpedio has the server solutions that are powerful and flexible enough to make the best out of our applications, says Tomihisa Kamada, CTO of Access. We also share the same vision of how mobile solutions need to be based on established and open Internet technologies and standards.
Services will be offered on top of existing networks in the United States (TDMA/CDPD) and future networks to be released in Europe (GPRS and later 3G). Traditional handsets as well as PDAs based on PalmOS, PocketPC or embedded Linux may be used. Connected devices in cars and other vehicles will soon also become other interesting platforms.
The co-operation is especially interesting considering that both WAP and i-mode are moving towards full XML based solutions. Access' and Xpedio's solutions will support current WAP and cHTML as well as the future standards based on XML, says Gustaf Rosell. Rich media, such as animations and Java based applications will also be supported, as well as end-to-end security based on SSL encryption.
The solutions are available from both vendors today. The current limiting factor is the support for these services in handsets, where most vendors until now have focused on WAP technology. Services for end consumers with both handsets and PDAs are expected in Q2 2001 in European markets (over GPRS) and somewhat earlier in the US and Latin America (over CDPD).
Further partnerships are to be expected in the same direction to strengthen the overall offerings further to service providers of all kinds.
Note to editors:
The compact HMTL format is a defined sub-set of HTML, the mark-up language of the Internet. With cHTML the content providers can develop applications quickly and easily without having to learn new methods of programming or relying on restricted WAP gateways.
i-mode gives access to more than 20.000 cHTML websites designed specifically for the Japanese market. Other, non-Japanese sites are accessible through i-mode as well, since there is now also western language menu systems.
The cHTML specification was originally designed by Access and was submitted to W3C jointly with other vendors. See http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/NOTE-compactHTML-19980209.
GPRS and CDPD networks are packet data networks, which make connections faster and more similar to wired Internet. A similar network, PDCP, is used in Japan since before i-mode's inception in February 1999.
About ACCESS
ACCESS Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with Access Systems America, a U.S. subsidiary, in Milpitas, Calif. ACCESS is a leading provider of innovative embedded software solutions for Internet Appliances. More information is available at http://www.access-us-inc.com and http://www.access.co.jp.
ACCESS CO.,LTD.
Hirata-Bld. 8F, 2-8-16 Sarugaku-cho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101 JAPAN
About Xpedio
Xpedio develops a platform for rapid development and scalable deployment of mobile Internet services. The focus is on device independence and communication services. Target customers are virtual operators and service providers.
The headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with international offices being established in London. For more information, see http://www.xpedio.com.