[May 18, 2004] IVT is a supplier for British
Telecom Bluephone Project
London, May 18, 2004 – Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and
NYSE: ALA) today announced that the seven-company consortium,
of which it is head and prime contractor, has been selected
to launch BT's groundbreaking Project Bluephone. Alcatel,
Ericsson, Motorola, Norwood Systems, IVT, Inventel and MBT
will work closely with BT to launch commercially, what will
be, Europe's first fully converged fixed-mobile communication
service.
As Prime Contractor to the consortium, Alcatel will be drawing
on its global system integrator expertise to act as project
manager and to unite all seven companies behind a smooth roll
out and implementation. Alcatel will also provide the IP security
and encryption system between access points and public network.
Ericsson will provide access bridge and access point technology
that will deliver the unlicensed mobile access (UMA) solution;
Inventel and IVT will contribute residential and enterprise
access portals; MBT will be the provider of OSS and BSS development
and integration. Motorola will be configuring the enterprise
section of Project Bluephone as well as providing handsets
and future WiFi capability where as enterprise mobility solutions
will come from Norwood Systems.
"Project Bluephone will dramatically transform communication
for the consumer." commented Alcatel's Alan Mottram on
behalf of the consortium "Today users are often presented
with a fragmented network-centric product based around the
delivery architecture it is presented on. In a "user
centric" world as depicted by Project Bluephone, users
can enjoy a single telephone number and handset to make and
receive calls wherever they are. The customer will be able
to use one device and pay with a single bill". Alan Mottram,
who is President of Alcatel's Fixed Solution Activities added
"Under Project Bluephone, BT, and its consortium of partners,
will give the customer the best connection and the same personalised
services irrespective of where they are – at home, in
the office, or on the move".
BT's Project Bluephone is the first stage of the company's
fixed-mobile convergence aspirations. The Project Bluephone
consortium have been working closely with BT to develop the
technology and are totally committed to the programme delivery.
Johan Bergendahl, Vice President, Marketing, at Ericsson
summarised the consortium's view "Each of the member
companies is convinced that the customer experience of fixed
and mobile service using only one device will generate new
revenue streams and excite a whole host of different market
sectors across both consumer and enterprise". He went
on to say "It is also clear that Project Bluephone gives
BT's customers the seamless services that today's "always
connected "lifestyle demands and as such will drive the
communication standard for the future".
Successful trials have taken place with over 50 users over
the last few months and the next wave of beta trials involving
2,000 users is already underway.
Motorola will be providing configuration and support for
the enterprise section of Project Bluephone. Commenting on
the project, Margaret Rice Jones, Corporate Vice President
and General Manager of Motorola's infrastructure business
said "The announcement today marks a crucial step forward
in making seamless mobility a reality in Europe and in changing
the way that people communicate both at work and in their
personal lives".
Project Bluephone will be brought to market by the end of
the summer and will see full scale launch before the end of
2004. The service will be technology agnostic and in time,
will work across other standards including WiFI.
About Alcatel
Alcatel provides communications solutions to telecommunication
carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery
of voice, data and video applications to their customers or
to their employees. Alcatel leverages its leading position
in fixed and mobile broadband networks, applications and services
to bring value to its customers in the framework of a broadband
world. With sales of EURO 12.5 billion in 2003, Alcatel operates
in more than 130 countries.
About Ericsson
Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet
communication through its continuous technology leadership.
Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries,
Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication
companies in the world. Read more at www.ericsson.com/press
About Inventel
Founded in 1994, INVENTEL is specialised in the conception
and development of radio communications equipments. The French
company has developed a real expertise in the wireless voice
and design for manufacturers many innovating products in DECT
standard, today sold in millions of units. Inventel design
and commercialise a range of access points and ADSL modems
using the wireless technologies WiFi - 802.11b, Bluetooth
(long-range) and DECT. The objective of INVENTEL is to be
one of the leaders offering voice/data/wireless communication
turnkey solutions. For that, INVENTEL has an active programme
of partnerships with telecommunications operators, manufacturers
or materials integrators, and service providers around the
world. www.inventel.com
About IVT
IVT is a world leader in providing Bluetooth turnkey solutions.
Since 1998, IVT has continually developed cutting edge products
including Bluetooth stack and profiles source code, protocol
analyzer, conformance & interoperability testers, application
software for PC's, laptop's, PDA's and Smart phone's, a variety
of reference designs & patent protected turnkey solutions.
IVT was the first company to release the Bluetooth Protocol
Stack SDL/C source code in November 1999, followed by the
first Bluetooth conformance tester in September 2000, and
the first Bluetooth profiles interoperability tester in September
2001. IVT's software and solutions are being widely adopted
by hundreds of industry participants for use in their products.
IVT has sales offices in Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and
an R & D Centre in China. IVT is an associated member
of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG)
For more information, please visit IVT
News Center or contact IVT Technical
Support
About Motorola
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global leader in wireless,
broadband and automotive communications technologies that
help make life smarter, safer, simpler, synchronized and fun.
Sales in 2003 were US$27.1 billion. Motorola creates innovative
technological solutions that benefit people at home, at work
and on the move. The company also is a progressive corporate
citizen dedicated to operating ethically, protecting the environment
and supporting the communities in which it does business.
For more information: www.motorola.com.
About Norwood Systems
Norwood Systems is a leader in Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC)
platforms that enable seamless access to voice and data office
networks using short-range wireless technologies. From the
office or home, Norwood Systems' award-winning FMC platform
EnterpriseMobility® allows the freedom and functionality
of a mobile phone to be combined with the coverage and cost
efficiency of a fixed line. With its head office in Richmond,
Norwood Systems also maintains offices in the United States
and Australia. www.norwoodsystems.com
