Replies to post #8828 on Qualcomm Inc (QCOM)

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Microsoft Releases MapPoint Location Server to Mobilize Businesses With Real-Time Location Services
Monday March 22, 8:00 am ET

Sprint and Bell Canada to Be First Mobile Operators to Commercially Support MLS


ATLANTA, March 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - News) today released MapPoint® Location Server (MLS), which enables businesses to significantly improve the way they locate, track and manage their mobile assets and mobile work force. MLS represents a major advance for location-based services (LBS) by making it easy to combine real-time location data from mobile operators with mapping capabilities from the Microsoft® MapPoint Web Service. This new technology fuels a wide range of applications including those for asset tracking, fleet management and mobile-worker dispatch based on real-time proximity to a business-related event. For instance, a taxicab company could use MLS as part of its dispatch call center application to more efficiently dispatch the nearest cab driver to a customer pickup based on the driver's real-time location.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
Mobile operators are moving quickly to seize the opportunity to offer innovative real-time, location-based services to their business customers. The release of MLS is a major step forward in bringing about these powerful services for the mobile workforce. Major North American mobile operators Sprint (United States) and Bell Canada (Canada) are announcing today their plans to be the first to offer real-time commercial services based on MLS to customers in their markets.

Sprint is leveraging its support of open standards, nationwide coverage and its technology road map for precision tracking to extend location data to MLS users through Sprint's Business Mobility Framework. Sprint plans to have these commercial services available in the United States this summer.

"The promise of location-based solutions is taking a major step forward with the release of the Microsoft MLS product and the continued rollout of Sprint's Business Mobility Framework," said Tom Shaughnessy, enterprise marketing director at Sprint Business Solutions. "Enabling our business customers to exchange real-time location information with their mobile work force will help them increase productivity and drive cost savings."

With today's launch of MapPoint Location Server, Bell Canada becomes the first major operator to offer real-time MLS-based commercial services to its customers. "Microsoft has propelled LBS with this release by simplifying the steps a business would need to take to integrate LBS into their business processes," said Adel Bazerghi, director of services development at Bell Mobility. "The support of industry standards in MLS combined with Microsoft's broad community of developers will dramatically reduce the barriers that in the past have presented challenges for businesses to benefit from LBS."

In addition to the early operator support for MLS, a wide range of independent software vendors and solution providers are developing real-time location solutions for business customers with MapPoint Location Server. Early solution partners include Cubistix Inc., Immedient Corp. and Action Engine Corp.

Cubistix, a New Jersey-based solution provider, developed Cubistix Location Analytics with MLS and Microsoft MapPoint 2004 for Pechter's Baking Group LLC, a 124-year-old wholesale baking company in Harrison, N.J. With this solution, Pechter's is able to leverage information stored in its customer data base to more efficiently route customer deliveries by dispatching drivers based on their closest proximity to customer locations, along with point-to-point directions and maps for all their routes. As a result, Petcher's increased its on-time deliveries and cost savings, and improved customer satisfaction.

In addition, Cubistix is also working with Partnership for Strong Families, a lead agency for the Florida Department of Children and Families, to enable it to better manage caseloads by visualizing its data by neighborhood with MapPoint 2004. In phase 2 of the implementation, Cubistix will utilize MLS to help locate and deploy case workers in the nearest proximity to children in crisis.

"The release of MLS is a major event that provides us with a unique business opportunity to expand the solutions we offer our customers who are eager to deploy real-time location services to their mobile work force," said Keith Armonaitis, president of Cubistix.

Today's launch of MLS is also a milestone for the MapPoint Web Service.

"Businesses large and small are eager to begin incorporating real-time location into their business applications and have been asking us to equip the MapPoint Web Service with real-time capabilities," said Michael Graff, general manager of the MapPoint Business Unit at Microsoft. "MLS does this, and gives the MapPoint Web Service a great advantage over other mapping and GIS providers."

The following are a few examples of the capabilities and benefits provided by MapPoint Location Server:

-- Seamless integration with MapPoint Web Service and Microsoft
infrastructure. MapPoint Location Server acts as a proxy to the
MapPoint Web Service, leveraging powerful mapping capabilities,
cost-effectiveness, service-level commitment, Microsoft .NET
connectivity and integration with other Web services. In addition, MLS
integrates with existing Microsoft infrastructures such as Windows
Server(TM), Microsoft SQL Server(TM), Active Directory(R) and the
Microsoft .NET Framework, thus taking advantage of investments that
many companies have already made.
-- Cost-effective integration of real-time location information into
applications. With MLS, enterprises and developers can easily integrate
real-time location information into their business applications and
processes. MLS provides a single, mobile-operator-independent API for
obtaining location data from different mobile operators. Therefore,
developers do not have to write operator-specific code to integrate
location functionality into their applications. The mobile-operator-
independent API is mapped to individual mobile operators through
operator-specific location data providers.
-- Easy, flexible programming with support of standards such as Simple
Object Access Protocol and Extensible Markup Language. MLS puts
real-time location solutions within the grasp of virtually any
developer, without the need for geographic information system (GIS) or
mapping knowledge. And MLS-based applications can be developed in a
wide range of programming languages, including all .NET programming
languages, Java or Perl.
-- Enterprise and user privacy control. Enforcement of user privacy
preferences takes place within an enterprise's networks, and the
enterprise has control of default privacy settings. With the Mobile
Locator application running on a computer or Windows Mobile(TM)-based
device, users can control their privacy preferences and choose to be
informed when they are being located. Privacy preferences include, for
example, the ability for users to appear to be offline (by turning
visibility off) and block anyone or everyone from obtaining their
location. All location information or personal information (such as a
mobile phone number) is encrypted when passed between MLS and the
MapPoint Web Service. Similarly, the mobile phone number is encrypted
when passed between MLS and the mobile operator. Only information
necessary to perform the service requested by a user is exchanged
between the enterprise and the MapPoint Web Service (e.g., latitude and
longitude) or between the enterprise and mobile operator (e.g., mobile
phone number).


MapPoint Location Server is available to customers with a valid license agreement for the MapPoint Web Service. More information on the MWS licensing model can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/mappoint/webservice/howtobuy.mspx . More information about the MapPoint Location Server can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/mappoint/default.asp .

MapPoint Web Service Special Offer for Free Subscription

MSDN® Universal, Enterprise and Professional subscribers are eligible for a free subscription to MapPoint Web Service. This exclusive MSDN Developer account extends the standard 45-day free trial period and also includes limited use of the MapPoint Web Service production environment in addition to the MapPoint Web Service staging environment. This is a one-time offer available to all MSDN subscribers at no charge. Developers can sign up today at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=26010 .

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

NOTE: Microsoft, MapPoint, Windows Server, Active Directory and Windows Mobile are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.




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Source: Microsoft Corp.

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Verizon Wireless Selects Lucent Technologies as a Key Supplier For Its BroadbandAccess High-Speed Data Service
Monday March 22, 8:02 am ET


ATLANTA and BEDMINSTER, N.J., March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, the nation's leading wireless service provider, will continue to work with Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU - News) under a three-year 1xEV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) agreement to provide wireless infrastructure technology for its BroadbandAccess service -- which uses Verizon Wireless' third generation (3G) data network -- the fastest commercially available wide-area wireless data service offered in the United States today. During the first two years of this agreement, Verizon Wireless is expected to invest more than $525 million in Lucent's wireless infrastructure technology to expand BroadbandAccess. Verizon Wireless recently announced that, beginning in 2004, it plans to make BroadbandAccess service available throughout additional portions of its national footprint.

This agreement to provide wireless infrastructure technology for Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service is supplemental to existing ongoing supply agreements between the two companies. In October 2003, Verizon Wireless commercially deployed its BroadbandAccess service in two key markets with Lucent as the primary supplier in Washington, D.C.

BroadbandAccess is powered by a 3G CDMA2000® 1xEV-DO wide-area network. Under this agreement, Lucent will upgrade existing Lucent base stations with 1xEV-DO Modem Cards and software and provide 1xEV-DO-enabled Flexent® Modular Cell 4.0 base stations as required. Verizon Wireless will also upgrade its core network utilizing Lucent supplied 1xEV-DO Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) and Element Management Systems. Lucent Worldwide Services will provide network installation, integration, and optimization services.

"Given the success of the initial commercial deployment of this high-speed data network and our long-standing relationship with Lucent Technologies, we look forward to working with Lucent again on this industry-leading service," said Richard Lynch, executive vice president and chief technical officer, Verizon Wireless. "Our customers in Washington, D.C. have told us how BroadbandAccess has improved their productivity and has made them look smart to their customers."

The BroadbandAccess service allows enterprise customers to access information when they are out of the office at speeds that are faster than those offered via any other commercially available wide-area wireless data service in the United States. With data transmission bursts of up to 2 Megabits per second (Mbps), BroadbandAccess customers can download a 1 Megabyte e-mail attachment (for example, a small PowerPoint presentation or a large PDF file), or receive three digital pictures (each 400 x 600 pixels) in less than 30 seconds, which is three to four times faster than using EDGE service, and as much as ten times faster than on a GPRS network. Customers can also use this high-speed data service to access rich graphic content, video, music and more.

"We're excited to take this next step with Verizon Wireless as it expands the BroadbandAccess service," said Cindy Christy, president, Mobility Solutions for Lucent Technologies. "The new 1xEV-DO network should quickly enable a whole host of new revenue-generating multimedia services that businesses and consumers are demanding."

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and data network and 37.5 million customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ - News) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD - News News). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To receive broadcast-quality video footage of Verizon Wireless operations, log onto www.thenewsmarket.com/verizonwireless.

About Lucent Technologies

Lucent Technologies designs and delivers the systems, services and software that drive next-generation communications networks. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent uses its strengths in mobility, optical, software, data and voice networking technologies, as well as services, to create new revenue-generating opportunities for its customers, while enabling them to quickly deploy and better manage their networks. Lucent's customer base includes communications service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide. For more information on Lucent Technologies, which has headquarters in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, visit www.lucent.com.

NOTE: This press release contains statements about expected future events and financial results related to Verizon Wireless that are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The following important factors could affect future results and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements: materially adverse changes in economic conditions in the markets served by us, an adverse change in the ratings afforded our debt securities or those of Verizon Communications by nationally accredited ratings organizations, the effects of the substantial competition that exists in our markets, which has been intensifying, and which may intensify further as a result of local number portability regulations that allow wireless customers to retain their phone numbers when switching wireless service providers, our ability to obtain sufficient financing to satisfy our substantial capital requirements, including to fund capital expenditures, debt repayment and distributions to our owners, our ability to obtain sufficient spectrum licenses, particularly in our most densely populated areas, our ability to develop future business opportunities, including wireless data services, and to continue to adapt to the changing conditions in the wireless industry, our ability to receive satisfactory service from our key vendors and suppliers, our ability to generate additional subscribers, with acceptable levels of churn, from resellers and distributors of our service, material changes in available technology, and technology substitution that could impact the popularity and usage of our technology, our continued provision of satisfactory service to our subscribers at an acceptable cost, in order to reduce churn, the impact of continued unionization efforts with respect to our employees, regulatory developments, including new regulations that could increase our cost of doing business or reduce demand for our services, developments in connection with existing or future litigation, and changes in our accounting assumptions that regulatory agencies, including the SEC, may require or that result from changes in the accounting rules or their application, which could result in an impact on earnings.




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Source: Verizon Wireless

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