STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 21, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Aspiro has signed its first commercial contract involving MMS services. British-based Mobile Streams(TM) has purchased Aspiro's mobile picture messaging service "Snapshots." The initial agreement runs for two years and is estimated to be worth a minimum of Euro 80,000.
Mobile Streams(TM) owns and operates a network of more than 225 different websites about nonvoice(TM) mobile communications. To date, several million people have downloaded content from Mobile Streams' network of over 75 different consumer websites which include ringtones.com, mobileflirting.com, picturemessaging.com and operatorlogos.com.
Snapshots (previously marketed as My Photo Gallery) is a mobile photo service that allows users to collect personal photographs with the aid of a website account. Once logged on to the website, users can create MMS messages with both text and pictures and send them to any MMS-enabled mobile phone. Once received, the message can then be forwarded to other mobile phone users. If the recipients' mobile phones are not equipped with MMS software, the message is automatically made viewable by existing SMS and WAP software.
"Mobile Streams believes that MMS is to the mobile what Windows was for the PC - a dramatically improved user experience," said Simon Buckingham, CEO of Mobile Streams. "Everybody understands the concept of photo albums in the offline world so we believe that bringing this concept to the mobile Internet will prove popular with consumers. By partnering with Aspiro we aim to bring feature-rich MMS services to the market."
Snapshots will be launched shortly on Mobile Streams' website called mobilephotos.com and at multimediamessaging.com, Mobile Streams' central portal for all MMS services.
The license agreement between Aspiro and Mobile Streams, which runs for two years, includes installation and hosting and will generate minimum revenues of Euro 80 000. Mobile Streams will also become a reseller of Aspiro's Snapshots service, offering it to other mobile portals.
"I am very pleased to have signed our first MMS agreement," said Hakan Persson, CEO at Aspiro. "Picture messaging, such as Aspiro's Snapshots application, is well positioned to be the next big volume application and a natural extension to one of the current killer applications -SMS text messaging."
About Aspiro
Aspiro offers mobile teleoperators, portals, companies and organizations a wide range of attractive services designed to meet the individual's needs for information, entertainment and communication via mobile media. The company's vision is to become an external mobile services division for mobile operators and companies with strong brands where we can provide applications as well as consultation.
Founded in 1998, Aspiro is today an important international player in the global mobile Internet market. Aspiro's business concept, organization and operations are based on many years of experience gained in the mobile telecommunications and IT sectors. For more information, please visit www.aspiro.com
About Mobile Streams
Mobile Streams owns and operates a network of more than 225 different websites about nonvoice mobile communications. The network includes 150 industry websites and 75 consumer websites.
Founded in 1999, Mobile Streams today employs 49 persons. For more information, please visit www.mobilestreams.com.
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