Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and other advanced wireless technologies, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with O2 UK, a leading provider of mobile services to consumers and businesses in the United Kingdom. O2 UK will use uiOne to develop a consistent user interface (UI), initially for two of its own-branded X range devices. With this agreement, O2 becomes the first operator in Europe to announce plans to deploy uiOne. It is expected that O2 devices that use the new platform will be available in late 2006.
The open and flexible uiOne offering will provide the ability for UI updates to be delivered over the air (OTA). This update capability will enable O2 to provision new content into the UI such as branding refreshes, promotions and entertainment content as well as periodic software or feature upgrades.
"This agreement demonstrates O2's commitment to providing its customers with the ability to customize their user interfaces on its own branded devices," said Peggy Johnson, president of Qualcomm Internet Services. "uiOne is a logical step for true differentiation in the wireless marketplace and will provide time-to-market, revenue and branding benefits to give O2's mobile offering further differentiation in one of Europe's most competitive markets."
"Our X range devices are a key part of our business strategy. We see this uiOne implementation on part of our X range as complementary to our existing partnerships in providing a consistent user interface that our customers are able to easily identify with," said Ian Clarke, head of devices for O2 UK. "This agreement will enable O2 to further develop our understanding of customizing customers' mobile phones, allowing them to personalize their mobile experience."
uiOne is comprised of a suite of products and services, including the uiOne Toolkit, uiOne SDK (software development kit), uiOne applications, resources and templates (ART), and professional services to assist operators in getting to market.
O2 is a leading provider of mobile services to consumers and businesses in the U.K. It is the leader in non-voice services, including text, media messaging, games, music and video, as well as always on data connections via GPRS, 3G and WLAN. Every month, O2's 15 million customers send a billion text messages. O2 (UK) is a subsidiary of O2 plc which also owns O2 branded mobile operators in Ireland and Germany as well as the O2 Airwave emergency services network in the U.K.
Qualcomm Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm is included in the S&P 500 Index and is a 2005 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.
