Qualcomm Inc (QCOM)

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Tata Uses Kyocera Phones


May 27, 2004 / 10:16 AM

SAN DIEGO & BANGALORE, India—Kyocera Wireless Corp., a global manufacturer of CDMA wireless phones, today announced that Tata Teleservices, India's leading telecom service provider, will launch India's first push-to-talk (PTT) service using Kyocera phones and Qualcomm's BREWChat software platform. Tata Teleservices is launching its Tata Indicom Push-To-Talk service exclusively with the Kyocera KX440, the world's first commercially available phone supporting the BREWChat software client.

"Kyocera Wireless was the world's first handset manufacturer to support BREW technology, and with Tata Indicom's debut of BREWChat based PTT solution and the KX440, we're very proud to once again pioneer new CDMA technology," said Tsuyoshi Mano, president of Kyocera Wireless Corp. "We congratulate Tata on its groundbreaking introduction of push-to-talk services in India and look forward to successful launches of the KX440 and other BREW-enabled Kyocera handsets."

The Kyocera KX440 — the first CDMA push-to-talk handset available outside of the Americas — offers easy-to-use walkie-talkie capabilities over the BREWChat technology platform. BREWChat is the first commercially available version of QUALCOMM's push-to-chat solution specifically designed for CDMA2000 1X Release 0 networks. BREWChat enables Tata Teleservices to leverage its CDMA and BREW investments without having to further upgrade its network, offering exceptional call set-up performance for users and bandwidth savings to Tata Teleservices.

"Tata Teleservices is pleased to be the first mobile operator in India to offer push-to-talk services. We are the first in the world to use BREWChat technology on Kyocera's KX440 handset," said Amit Bose, President — Telecom, Tata Teleservices. "Kyocera's history of being first to market with emerging technologies such as BREW and now BREWChat, makes them a great partner for us as we introduce exciting new technologies to Indian consumers."

India is one of the world's fastest growing wireless telecommunication markets. According to industry estimates, the country's wireless subscriber base is expected to triple by 2008 to more than 140 million.

"Kyocera Wireless has taken a market leadership position with the introduction of a new entry-level tier in push-to-talk. This category is well suited to the price-sensitivities of emerging wireless markets like India," said John Jackson, senior analyst at The Yankee Group. "By providing the first push-to-talk and BREW handsets to Tata, Kyocera positions itself well to capitalize in a market with vast potential."

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