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GSM ASSOCIATION: The 2003 GSM Association award winners are... Premier



Cannes, France, Feb 19, 2003 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- The 2003 3GSM World Congress started in style last night when the global wireless community gathered for the industry's premier Awards ceremony. The 2003 GSM Association Awards, presented by comedian Clive Anderson and held at the Palm Beach Casino in Cannes, celebrated the most innovative and successful achievements of the wireless industry.

Each year the prestigious wireless industry awards attract a huge number of entries from network operators, manufacturers, application developers and content providers worldwide. This year's awards, sponsored by Intel, were no exception, with the highest number of entries in the eight years that the awards have been running.

"The 2003 GSMA Awards demonstrate that our industry is not only alive and kicking, but also building on the rich heritage and massive success of GSM," said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association. "With the support of the industry, operators are continuing the quest to create new revenue streams while informing, educating, entertaining, and enriching customers' lives with vibrant and innovative new wireless services throughout the world."

"The awards go to show that despite challenges today, our industry goes from strength-to-strength," he added.

The judging panel was a strong mix of independent technology experts, market analysts and commentators, and industry luminaries, who deliberated over the hundreds of entries in the four main categories.

2003 GSM Association Award Winners...

The winners of the 2003 GSM Association Awards were announced as:

Category One: Technology Innovation

BEST WIRELESS HANDSET/TERMINAL OR HANDHELD DEVICE:

-- Sharp Corporation, UK for the Sharp GX10

BEST INFRASTRUCTURE OR NETWORK SOLUTION PRODUCT:

-- Telos Technology & Globecomm Systems Inc., Canada for Telos' Packet Switching Technology

Category Two: Applications & Services - Sponsored by Motorola

BEST WIRELESS APPLICATION OR SERVICE - CORPORATE MARKET:

* Commtag, UK for Duality(tm) Always-on Mail

BEST WIRELESS APPLICATION OR SERVICE - CONSUMER MARKET:

-- Vodafone Group, for Vodafone live!

BEST WIRELESS APPLICATION DEVELOPER:

-- 3G LAB, UK

Category Three: Marketing & Promotions

BEST TELEVISION OR BROADCAST COMMERCIAL:

-- Vodafone Group, for 'Vodafone live!'

BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN:

-- Entel PCS, Chile for the 'XAT' Campaign

Category Four: Wireless in the Community

USE OF WIRELESS FOR ACCESSIBILITY:

-- XIAM, Ireland for XIAM Information Router/West Midlands Police

BEST USE OF WIRELESS FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS:

-- MTN Networks, Sri Lanka for the SMS Blood Appeal, Matching and Donor Management Application

GSM Association Chairman's Award:

-- Sir Christopher Gent, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Group Plc

Sharp Corporation's GX10 won the Best Wireless Handset/Terminal or Handheld Device award and succeeded in impressing the judges with its huge choice of features that are easy for consumers to use.

The judges commented: "The Sharp GX10 exceeded all the judging criteria. Crucially it was delivered on time and enabled the seamless launch of an important new service as a result of close collaboration between Sharp and its operator customers."

The winner of the Best Infrastructure or Network Solution Product was a joint entry from Telos Technology & Globecomm Systems Inc. for Telos' Packet Switching Technology implemented on a new network in the Kingdom of Tonga.

The technology deployed significantly reduced costs and saved vital network bandwidth.

"Telos' technology is great progress in the development of the GSM market, making communication possible where it was previously extremely difficult," commented Rob Conway.

In the Applications and Services category, the number and quality of entries was staggering. The judges selected Commtag's Duality(tm) Always-on Mail application as Best Wireless Application or Service - Corporate Market because it successfully dealt with the need of many corporations to mobilise workforces.

The judges decided that: "For many corporate users, email is the primary means of communication and is hence the most important application for mobile workers. Commtag's system enables remote access to corporate email in a flexible and efficient fashion."

Vodafone Group scooped the Best Wireless Application or Service - Consumer Market award for Vodafone live! Despite tough competition from dozens of creative and innovative services, Vodafone live! incorporated cutting-edge technology, applications and services to give its customers a complete wireless Internet experience.

Rob Conway commented: "Vodafone has succeeded in making mobile data services exciting and accessible to all. Vodafone live! has been pivotal in helping consumers understand exactly what they can get out of their phones in terms of simple user benefits."

The Best Wireless Application Developer award went to 3G LAB. The company's work on enabling operators and manufacturers to dynamically update user interfaces over-the-air, specifically with the Trigenix offering, impressed the judges. "3G LAB has clearly identified a key operator and manufacturer business challenge and is tackling it effectively," the judges concluded.

Entries in the third category demonstrated how far the industry has come in its ability to effectively market to its customers by focusing on services rather than technology. Best Television or Broadcast Commercial saw Vodafone Group carrying off its second award of the evening for the commercial that supported the launch of Vodafone live!

The judges were impressed by the high level of awareness created by the commercial and the translation of this awareness into sales. "The Vodafone live! commercial serves our entire industry - it succeeds in demonstrating to a wide audience exactly how data devices can deliver benefits in everyday life," enthused the judges.

Entel PCS took the Best Marketing Campaign award for its 'XAT' campaign that aimed to win market share of the Chilean SMS market following interoperability. The campaign created an entirely new language (XAT is pronounced 'chat') and sub-culture and integrated numerous marketing media to deliver a coherent, compelling message.

The judges commented: "XAT is a great example of a simple, successful, interactive marketing campaign. Entel PCS has raised consumer awareness and excitement around SMS and, crucially, this has translated into sales."

The Wireless in the Community category seeks to showcase the often unrecognised work of the wireless industry in the community - it is traditionally a challenging category to judge as there are many deserving entries. The winner of the Best Use of Wireless for Accessibility award was XIAM. XIAM's Information Router was installed by the West Midlands Police - the second largest police force in the UK - to give the hearing and speech impaired access to emergency services wherever they may be.

"This is an excellent category that never fails to demonstrate how crucial GSM can be to certain communities. It really can help transform peoples' lives. XIAM's technology provides a critical service to a market segment that has previously experienced difficulties accessing emergency services whilst on the move, " added Rob Conway.

This year the Best Use of Wireless for Emergency Situations award was won by MTN Networks for its SMS Blood Appeal, Matching and Donor Management Application. MTN worked with Sri Lanka's Blood Transfusion Service to help solve blood stock shortages exacerbated by unrest and disease in the country. The use of SMS to recruit and recall blood donors at times of shortage was applauded by the judges and has been recognised by the World Health Organisation.

The judges commented: "MTN Networks and Sri Lanka's National Blood Transfusion Service have found a novel way of using existing technology to counter a wide-spread public health problem."

The final category, the GSM Association Chairman's Award, is awarded at the sole discretion of the GSM Association. Presented by Jim Pratt, GSMA Chairman 2002, the award aims to recognise an organisation, individual or company that has made an outstanding contribution to the development, success or growth behind the GSM family of wireless communications.

This year's Chairman's Award went to Sir Christopher Gent, Chief Executive Officer of the Vodafone Group Plc in recognition and honour of his outstanding personal contribution to the growth and success of the global GSM industry over the last two decades.

"Sir Christopher Gent is perhaps one of the best known captains of the wireless industry. His efforts have not only positioned Vodafone Group as one of the largest wireless telecommunications companies in the world, but have furthered the cause of the wireless industry beyond estimation," commented Jim Pratt. "We are pleased to be able to celebrate his contribution to our industry's success at the end of his high-profile career."

Notes for Editors:

For full details of commended entries and the judging panel, please see: http://www.gsmworld.com/awards

About the GSM Association

The GSM Association (GSMA) is the world's leading wireless industry representative body. It consists of more than 660 second and third generation wireless network operators working collaboratively to accelerate the implementation of collectively identified, commercially prioritised operator requirements. The Association's members provide digital wireless services to more than 800 million customers in over 190 countries of the world (end January 2003).

The GSM family of wireless communications platforms, including GSM, GPRS (General Packet Radio Services), EDGE (Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution) and W-CDMA account for approximately 72 percent of the total digital wireless market today. The GSM Association is a unique organisation, with truly global reach, offering a full range of business and technical services to its members. For more information, visit the website at www.gsmworld.com http://www.gsmworld.com/>.

GSM is a registered trademark, registered and owned by the GSM Association.

CONTACT: Mark Smith, Communications Director, GSM Association Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] e-mail: [e-mail] Clare Bragg/Richard Fogg, Companycare Communications Tel: [phone] e-mail: [e-mail] e-mail: [e-mail]

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