Date: Wednesday, October 6 1999

SmarTone customers are the first in the world to receive a fully compliant WAP 1.1 solution. SmarTone has chosen Ericsson to be its WAP system supplier, with deliveries of WAP gateways, a number of WAP 1.1 applications and services. Ericsson has already delivered more than twenty WAP 1.1 compliant systems to cdmaOne, GSM and TDMA operators on several continents.

Ericsson's WAP system is based on a highly stable and scaleable WAP Gateway, including support for both IP and SMS bearer services, together with a range of applications. The SMS solution includes unique Ericsson technology -- which decreases delays in delivery and enables faster access. The new system has been fully tested with, and provides support for, both Ericsson terminals and terminals from other major vendors.

"As the first network operator in Hong Kong to launch WAP Services, SmarTone once again fulfils its service pledge in providing customers with the best mobile communications services," says Chris Lau, SmarTone's General Manager of Product Planning. "We chose to work with Ericsson because of their proven track record on delivering projects and are the comprehensive mobile communication solution supplier that could provide the end-to-end solution."

"SmarTone is a leading communications service provider in Hong Kong, especially in the field of mobile Internet," says Staffan Pehrson, Director of Ericsson's WAP Program. "When such an operator chooses Ericsson, it's a clear proof that our WAP products offer superior functionality, quality, and scalability. We're also looking forward to receiving valuable feedback from SmarTone's highly trained engineers and customers who are predominately early WAP adopters."

Already in June, Ericsson delivered the first commercial WAP 1.1 system to SmarTone. Ericsson's reputation for delivering mission-critical systems enabled SmarTone to complete acceptance testing of the WAP 1.1 system in August.

No other manufacturer has so far announced such a broad range of WAP devices and system solutions as Ericsson. Regarding devices, Ericsson recently launched commercially the world's first WAP terminal. Two more WAP phones have been shown and will hit the market early in the year 2000.

WAP is a first step towards Mobile Internet and 3G (third generation) mobile offerings. Mobile Internet will not only make the current Internet available from mobile terminals, but also create a whole new set of services that will be available anywhere, anytime for any users.

Ericsson is the leading provider in the new telecoms world, with communications solutions that combine telecom and datacom technologies with freedom of mobility for the user. With more than 100,000 employees in 140 countries, Ericsson simplifies communications for its customers - network operators, service providers, enterprises and consumers - the world over.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Johan Wiklund, Ericsson Corporate Communications
Phone: +46 70 5600134
E-mail: [email protected]

Staffan Pehrson, Director, Ericsson WAP Program, Ericsson Radio Systems
Phone: +46 70 560 5769;
E-mail: [email protected]

Ericsson and WAP

Ericsson -- founder of WAP -- is a main driver of the WAP technology. The company's innovations in the WAP area fully follows the true WAP standard - the WAP 1.1 specifications - which guarantees interoperability and backward compatibility of future WAP specification releases.

Ericsson offers the widest range of WAP solutions, including WAP terminals and phones, WAP Gateways, WAP Developers Kit, WAP applications, WAP application consultancy as well as WAP portals.

Ericsson is first to market, with the first ever WAP 1.1 compliant devices - the MC218, the first ever WAP 1.1 compliant developers kit - the WapIDE, as well as the first-ever WAP 1.1 compliant gateway - the Ericsson WAP GW. Ericsson has also revealed two more WAP 1.1 compliant devices - the phone R320 and the smartphone R380.

To read more on another Ericsson-first, when the company showed the first two WAP infrastructure products, see press release from October 1998:

http://www.ericsson.com/pressroom/Archive/1998Q4/19981007-0012.ht ml