Siemens to Incorporate T9 Intelligent Text Input Technology Into Next Generation of Mobile Phones; Siemens Signs Licensing Agreement With Tegic Communications

Business Wire, March 18, 1999

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 18, 1999--Tegic Communications today announced it has signed a licensing agreement with Siemens.

The deal allows Siemens to incorporate T9(tm) intelligent text input into its next generation of mobile phones for worldwide distribution.

T9 intelligent text input allows users to quickly and easily input words or entire sentences onto their mobile phone keypads. The technology turns your keypad into a simple type-writer enabling users to enter text with just one key press per letter. For example to enter the word "call" into your mobile phone will take just four key presses, as opposed to ten key presses if you scrolled through the individual letters.

"We are most impressed by Tegic's technology," said Phil Christal, Siemens Product Manager. "The industry has been facing a dilemma; the need to downsize handsets versus the need to provide easier use, especially for the ever expanding range of value added services. Key to these services is the need to write text. Today, writing with a mobile phone requires up to four key presses per letter, both tedious and time consuming."

T9 technology works by translating single key presses from a huge integral vocabulary into the desired words, with remarkable accuracy. Siemens long standing experience in usability, pioneering the use of softkeys, graphic displays, integral instructions, and more recently colour, is now being harnessed to make using T9 an exciting and immediately productive experience.

"Siemens understands that ease of use is key to unlocking the power of the mobile phone," said Don Davidge, vice president of sales and marketing with Tegic Communications. "By licensing our technology, Siemens is designing mobile phone handsets the way people want them. The company is giving its customers another quick and easy way to communicate and is making it easier for people to manage their lives."

About Tegic Communications

Seattle-based Tegic Communications was founded in June 1995 to develop and market text input technologies for the telecommunications and computing industries. The company has licensed its T9 text input technology to major consumer electronics and communications equipment manufacturers both domestically and abroad. For more information about Tegic or T9 Text Input technology, call 206/343-7001, send e-mail to info@tegic.com or visit Tegic's Web site at www.tegic.com.

About Siemens

Siemens is one of the world's four largest electronics companies, Europe's largest telephone manufacturer and a leading global GSM supplier. Products include mobile phones, cordless phones, ISDN devices through PCs, laptops,

servers, mainframes, retail and self service systems to fiber-optic cable. For further information, please visit the Siemens Web site at http://www.siemens.de.

T9 is a trademark of Tegic Communications.