Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia and Unwired Planet Unite to Create an Open Common Protocol for Interactive Wireless Applications

    LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, and
 Unwired Planet today announced plans to co-operate in defining a common
 Wireless Application Protocol.  The initial proposal to develop the new
 protocol was first presented at MDI (Mobile Data Initiative) this spring in
 Munich.
     The initiative is aimed at aligning the companies' efforts to bring
 advanced applications and Internet content to digital mobile phones.  This
 alignment will result in numerous benefits, among them providing operators
 differentiation and new business opportunities.  In addition, developers of
 applications and content will be aided, since a single protocol and markup
 language will work with any vendor's compatible handsets.
     For the end users, this co-operation will permit, via mobile phones
 supporting the Wireless Application Protocol, access to applications and
 functions such as:
 
     --  Management of personal telephone profiles.
     --  Handling of voice, fax, and e-mail, i.e. unified messaging.
     --  Information services: taxi, restaurants, hotels, stock trading,
         banking, directory services, etc.
     --  Internet services by transforming intelligent mobile phones and
         other wireless handheld devices into first-class citizens of the
         Internet.
     --  Improved user interface to existing and addition of more advanced
         telephony related services.
 
     The goal of this effort is to produce a refined, license free protocol
 which is independent of the underlying airlink standard.  The Wireless
 Application Protocol will inherit its main characteristics and functionality
 from HDML (Handheld Device Markup Language) and HDTP (Handheld Device
 Transport Protocol) developed by Unwired Planet; the Smart Messaging
 specification developed by Nokia; and the ITTP (Intelligent Terminal Transfer
 Protocol) specification developed by Ericsson.  The aim of the Wireless
 Application Protocol is to leverage the best of the three approaches -- the
 Internet standards of HDML and HDTP, the services and feature control as well
 as Internet access of Smart Messaging based on TTML (Tagged Text Mark-Up
 Language), and the call control and messaging functionality of ITTP.
     By working together, each of these leading companies will contribute to
 the prompt development of an open wireless application protocol that will
 encourage growth in the market for intelligent mobile phones.  The
 participating companies stress the importance of a totally open and licence as
 well as royalty free protocol toward this end.
     The protocol will be available to vendors and mobile operators around the
 world.  The result will be innovative information access and applications for
 a new generation of mobile phones.  The first protocol specification will be
 published on the World Wide Web by Sept. 15, 1997.  It is important to note
 that the new protocol will be transport independent and it will utilise the
 Narrowband Sockets specification for wireless communication.  The protocol
 will accommodate the different capabilities and functions -- memory,
 displays, and keypads of various manufacturers' devices, in a modular fashion.
     Motorola is the world's largest manufacturer of cellular telephones and
 provides wireless communications, semiconductors and advanced electronic
 systems and services.  Other major equipment businesses include two way radio,
 paging and data communications, personal communication, automotive, defence
 and space electronics and computers.  Visit Motorola on the Web at
 http://www.mot.com.
     Nokia is the world's largest manufacturer of digital mobile phones and one
 of the two largest suppliers of GSM networks with sales in approximately 130
 countries and with 30,000 employees in 45 countries. Nokia is also a global
 leader in wireless data.  You can visit Nokia on the Web:
 http://www.nokia.com.
     Unwired Planet was founded in 1994 to develop and market a comprehensive,
 open, communications platform including browser, gateway and markup language
 that provides wireless access from handheld devices to the Internet and
 corporate intranets.  UP technology is network- and device-independent and has
 been adopted by leading wireless carriers.  For more information, visit:
 http://www.uplanet.com.  UPLANET.COM and the Unwired Planet name and logo are
 trademarks of Unwired Planet Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
     Ericsson's 90,000 employees are active in more than 130 countries.  Their
 combined expertise in fixed and mobile networks, mobile phones and infocom
 systems makes Ericsson the world-leading supplier in telecommunications.  Find
 out about Ericsson on the Web: http://www.ericsson.com.
 
 

SOURCE  Motorola