IBM and Symbian Join Forces to Enable the Wireless Enterprise Market - Company Business and Marketing

Cambridge Telcom Report, Feb 21, 2000

IBM and Symbian Tuesday announced a joint development agreement to create wireless enterprise applications for users of Symbian based Smartphones and Communicators. The new applications will give mobile workers real-time access to web and corporate data, and for the first time allow them to continue to work with this information off-line, without the need for a continuous network connection.

Today's current 'browser phones' require users to stay online to access their data, send and receive email or buy and sell stock. The combination of IBM enterprise software and Symbian's open technology, however, will give business people the ability to work either on or offline. Users of wireless devices from Symbian licensees, including Ericsson, Nokia, Matsushita, Motorola, Philips and Psion, soon will have continuous access to their data and corporate applications.

"In the next few years, mobile phones are expected to be one of the primary devices used to access the network," said Mark Bregman, general manager of IBM's pervasive computing division. "With our experience in working with the world's largest enterprises, we will partner with the development community to create wireless applications that allow business users of Symbian devices to be as productive off-line as when they are connected to the network."

"As businesses begin to extend their applications beyond the PC they're looking for low-risk, safe methods to get information and content to their mobile employees and customers. Addressing this market IBM and Symbian are bringing together tried, tested and robust technology - we're bringing together Symbian wCommerce with IBM eBusiness for the mobile user," commented Juha Christensen, Executive Vice President, Symbian. "Our partnership with IBM works with existing open standards to promote content and services for the wireless data market, enabling mobile users to access information where ever they are."

By adding embedded extensions of IBM's messaging and database middleware on top of the Symbian platform, the two companies will be able to offer application developers and Symbian licensees a more robust development environment for wireless applications that go beyond traditional browsing.

At the Symbian Developer Conference, being held in Santa Clara this week, IBM will present elements of its pervasive computing software. For more information see http://www.symbiandevnet.com/. In late February, at CeBIT 2000 in Hannover, Germany, IBM and Symbian will be holding the first live demos of their wireless management information systems - including travel and banking applications - on Symbian's stand in Hall 26. Technical Note to Editors

Symbian is providing the technology that powers the Smartphone or Communicator device whilst IBM will provide a range of software to support security and reliability in the transmission of data between the server and the device, including MQSeries Everywhere, DB2 Everywhere and IBM Mobile Connect. IBM's MQSeries Everywhere allows client or server applications to queue up data for transmission when a network connection becomes present, assuring that data is delivered once and only one. IBM Mobile Connect allows synchronization between selected pervasive devices, such as those using the Symbian platform and servers for Lotus Notes, Microsoft Exchange and ODBC-compliant databases.

Symbian owns, licenses, develops and supports leading software, user interfaces, application frameworks and development tools for Wireless Information Devices such as Communicators and Smartphones. Symbian aims to promote standards for the interoperability of Wireless Information Devices with wireless networks, content services, and messaging and enterprise wide solutions.

With headquarters in London, Symbian has offices in Tokyo and Kanazawa, Japan; Ronneby, Sweden; Cambridge, UK and San Francisco Bay Area, USA. Symbian is owned by Ericsson, Matsushita, Motorola, Nokia and Psion. Symbian's Web site can be found at www.symbian.com.

IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. IBM's Pervasive Computing division has responsibility for creating e-business solutions that leverage a new class of connected client devices such as hand held Internet appliances. A key part of the team's mission is furthering the adoption of open industry standards for pervasive computing to help customers easily access and act on information whenever and wherever they may be. IBM offers complete information about the company, its products, services and technology to Internet users through the World Wide Web. The IBM home page is located at www.ibm.com.