BT and Microsoft today announced the start of a world-leading trial of wireless Internet services, involving four of their corporate customers - BBC, Credit Suisse First Boston, KPMG LLP and Nortel Networks - as well as business partner Telenor Mobil.
The trial, starting this month, builds on a BT and Microsoft agreement announced earlier this year to develop Internet, intranet and corporate data services for mobile customers around the world. It will involve about 1 000 mobile phone users in the UK and Norway.
Among several applications that the users will test is the ability to send and receive e-mail as well as access their Microsoft Exchange-based calendering, address list, personalised Web content and online information services from their mobile phones, over established radio interfaces. In support of this initiative, BT and Microsoft have signed development agreements with France-based Sagem SA and South Korea-based Samsung Electronics Company Ltd., two of the world`s leading mobile equipment manufacturers. Both companies have developed Web-browser mobile phone equipment for use in the trial.
BT and Microsoft have worked with these manufacturers to integrate Microsoft`s operating system independent microbrowser into a number of mobile handset devices. Microsoft`s leading enterprise messaging and collaboration solution, Exchange Server, will provide the core of the wireless e-mail and data services, which are built using Exchange and Windows NT Server with Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) technology.
These trials follow a successful internal test and will help BT and Microsoft to assess the market, gather detailed feedback on how customers will use emerging mobile data services, and prepare for a sizeable commercial deployment expected early next year.
Sohail Qadri, BT`s director of mobility, said: "Through this important collaboration, BT and Microsoft will enable their corporate customers to use vital computing and Internet-based business applications whilst on the move. For the first time, it will be possible for these companies to use mobile handsets to send and receive e-mails and operate an electronic diary working directly into a corporate server in real-time.
"The Internet and wireless markets represent the growth engines of high technology, and BT and Microsoft are delighted to be supported by these customers and leading manufacturers. There is a demand for this type of service from both multinational and medium-sized enterprises. The global mobile data market has a 75 percent compound annual growth rate and will be worth more than $80 billion by 2005."
Harel Kodesh, Microsoft`s vice president of the productivity appliance division, said: "Microsoft is pleased by its productive relationship with BT, enabling it to quickly roll out these first public corporate trials. We look forward to the valuable customer feedback we will receive and are eager to work with BT to build on this experience, and provide wireless data solutions for corporate customers worldwide."
Knut Oppegaard, director of value added services in Telenor Mobil, said: "Offering mobile data services to our customers is a top priority for us. We are very eager to learn what this technology can contribute to our product portfolio and our bottom line."
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BT has had a presence in South Africa since 1994. Today, BT has an expanding business presence in the rest of Africa. This is part of BT`s strategy of building an international network infrastructure, human resources, partnerships and alliances to enable it to deliver communications services to multinational corporations, their extended enterprises and major national organisations anywhere in the world.