At the GSM World Congress today, Siemens Communication Devices and Yahoo! Europe announced that they have joined forces to provide easy access to WAP services for Siemens phone and companion users. The agreement also includes the development of equivalent services by Siemens and Yahoo! Asia. Siemens plans to build direct access to WAP content from Yahoo!, a leading global Internet company, into all upcoming products including S35i, C35i and IC35. At wap.siemens.yahoo.com, Siemens' customers in Europe and Asia will have quick and easy access to content in 10 different language versions (see full list below) from localised Yahoo! sites. The first versions will be available in April, in English and German, and all remaining versions are scheduled to be completed by mid-year.
Yahoo! services are provided free of charge - users just pay their service provider for a call. Research undertaken by Siemens has indicated that consumers may experience varying quality when using different manufacturers' devices to access WAP content that has not been optimised. Hence, the companies have worked together to help ensure optimal readability of Yahoo! WAP content on Siemens devices.
As the first stage of the agreement, Yahoo! plans to optimise the following services for delivery to Siemens WAP phones and devices: Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports and Yahoo! Weather, with additional WAP services launched throughout the year. Users can get the latest information such as stock prices, news headlines from their choice of newspapers and scores from their favourite teams' games. Plus, users will be able to read and respond to emails. Yahoo! also plans to provide access to My Yahoo!, enabling Siemens customers to personalise the WAP content they receive on their phones. Users just log on to My Yahoo! via their desktop PC to register their preferences.
"Mobile phone manufacturers are racing to secure content for their WAP devices thus ensuring that these powerful products realise their full potential for all users, not just business people or professionals. Siemens' goal is to provide users with the full WAP experience as soon as they purchase a Siemens product. We know that the world of WAP will only make sense and be of value to our customers when their phone has not only the capability, but also built-in access to compelling WAP content such as that from Yahoo!" said Kerry McWilliams, Marketing Manager of Siemens Communication Devices.
"We are delighted to be working with Siemens to help users gain easy access to Yahoo! wherever they are. Becoming Siemens' official WAP content provider is an important part of our aim to provide access to Yahoo! services through a wide range of PC, device and communication providers," said Fabiola Arredondo, Managing Director, Yahoo! Europe.
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Siemens Communication Devices
Siemens Communication Devices (CD), a division of Siemens Information and Communication Products (Siemens ICP), develops and manufactures analogue and digital communication terminals, especially Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) products, Digital GSM handsets and wireless network access terminals for GSM worldwide. Siemens holds a leading position in the digital wireless market with around 110 mobile networks installed in 62 countries. Siemens handsets are used in nearly all countries that have adopted the GSM standard.
Siemens CD is also the leading provider of DECT-based products, having shipped more than fifteen million DECT phones throughout forty countries in the world. For the North American market, Siemens patented WDCT, worldwide digital cordless technology. WDCT is a derivative of the DECT standard, operates at the 2.4GHz frequency and provides unprecedented digital cordless calling capabilities. Finally Siemens CD develops and manufactures various corded phones and fully features terminals, payphones, integrated services digital network (ISDN) products, e.g. digital videophones and PC-cards for innovative applications with voice, data and images.
Visit our Internet site: http://www.siemens.com/ic
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Europe provides commerce, communication and media services throughout Europe to meet the needs of local consumers. Yahoo! Europe is comprised of the Yahoo! sites for the UK & Ireland (www.yahoo.co.uk), France (www.yahoo.fr), Germany (www.yahoo.de), Italy (www.yahoo.it), Spain (www.yahoo.es), Sweden (www.yahoo.se), Norway (www.yahoo.no) and Denmark (www.yahoo.dk). During the month of December 1999, 18 million unique users in Western Europe visited the Yahoo! Europe network. The Yahoo! offices in London, Paris, Munich, Milan, Madrid, Stockholm and Copenhagen are staffed by local nationals and Yahoo! Europe is headquartered in central London.
Yahoo! Europe is part of Yahoo! Inc.,a global Internet communications, commerce and media company that offers a comprehensive branded network of services to 120 million users each month worldwide. As the first online navigational guide to the Web, www.yahoo.com is the leading guide in terms of traffic, advertising, household and business user reach, and is one of the most recognised brands associated with the Internet. The company also provides online business services designed to enhance Yahoo!'s clients' Web services, including audio and video streaming, store hosting and management, and Web site tools and services. The company's global Web network includes 21 World properties. Yahoo! has offices in Europe, the Asia, Pacific, Latin America, Canada and the United States, and is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif.
Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logo are trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are
trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.