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9 October 1998

TELECOM ITALIA MOBILE AND  UNWIRED PLANET PARTNER FOR MARKET TRIAL OF WAP WIRELESS INTERNET SERVICES

Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM), the largest wireless network operator in Europe, and Unwired Planet, Inc., a leading supplier of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) software platforms, have recently reached an agreement (in cooperation with the CSELT research center) that allows TIM to implement a market trial of Unwired Planet™ (UP) wireless Internet technology on the TIM network. The Telecom Italia Mobile service will use the UP.Link™ Server open software platform from Unwired Planet, Inc. headquartered in Silicon Valley, USA.

UP's creative approach allows any Web information provider to use Wireless Markup Language (WML) or Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML) to quickly make Web sites visible to the screens of wireless handsets enabled with UP's microbrowser software. UP.Browser™ is specifically designed for the purposeful search and retrieval of Web-based information, giving mobile phone users interactive, efficient and simple access to key information services on the World Wide Web.

Combining the GSM network with the Internet, TIM and UP are following the approach defined by the WAP Forum (www.wapforum.org) to create a universe of new information services, such as the dispatch and receipt of electronic mail, business, financial, sports and recreational information and the ability to make online travel bookings or purchases.

In its preparations for the future, TIM is laying the technological foundations for the development of new value-added services. TIM subscribers will be able to connect to fully interactive applications and services on the Internet and corporate intranets, as well as value-added TeleServices, which may include Electronic Customer Care, Visual Voicemail™ and Call Feature Control.

The new applications will first undergo trials in the field with the aim of facilitating the work of corporate sales forces. For example, sales people will have direct access to company databases or intranets. Professionals will be able to obtain data and information stored in corporate electronic records or terminals, even if they are many miles from the company's head office in route to a customer site. In short, the "mobile office" is fast becoming a reality. Important data will be readily accessible wherever the user may be. The agreement foresees that these new services will be launched next year.

UP technology provides wireless network operators with a complete solution and direct path to implementing the full Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) specifications. Both Unwired Planet and Telecom Italia Mobile are members of the WAP Forum.

About Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM)
Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) is a joint-stock company of the Telecom Italia Group. TIM is the biggest mobile phone service operator in Europe in terms of number of subscribers, with approximately 13 million customers. It operates the TACS 900 MHz analogue network, the GSM 900 MHz digital network, the GSM 1800 MHz digital network as well as the paging service and over all the IRIDIUM service, the cellular satellite worldwide network. TIM's networks cover 98% of the population. TIM is strongly customer-oriented with its different mobile phone services, its flexible tariff structure and its consistent customer care. This makes TIM a strong player in the market, ready to accept the challenge of the second millennium. Visit http://www.tim.it for more information.

More:
What is WAP?
WAP Technical Details