Blu to provide Mobile Internet services with WAP and GPRS technologies provided by Nokia

Leading Italian operator Blu will offer mobile Internet services based on WAP and GPRS technologies provided by Nokia.

Nokia and Blu signed a contract for the supply of Nokia GPRS solution that enables packet data transmission on mobile networks, providing continuous high speed Internet access to Blu subscribers, wherever they are.

This new agreement is part of a larger but not exclusive relationship between the two companies. Blu chose Nokia also for the delivery of its WAP Gateway solution and for the development of support solutions for mobility such as real time information on airline schedules and traffic information. Nokia will also provide Blu with Nokia 7110 phones, compatible with WAP 1.1 standard.

Blu was the first mobile operator in Italy that launched at the beginning of its activity an Internet portal in order to provide its subscribers with a range of advanced services (latest news, sport news, financial and banking services, booking and travel services) accessible through the Internet and also mobile phones.

“Our strategy aims to offer our subscribers innovative, personalised and easy to services,” said Enrico Casini, Managing Director of Blu. “By combining WAP and GPRS, we will give a new impulse on mobile data transmission, paving the way to 3G applications. GPRS will multiply the opportunities to create new services for the subscribers.”

"Cooperation with Blu to provide GPRS networks and user-friendly Internet services with WAP technologies is important for Nokia Italia. We are pleased to support Blu in the evolution from the mobile generation to the UMTS and the 3G multimedia services,” said Giorgio Pucci, Managing Director of Nokia Networks – Nokia Italia S.p.A. “Nokia is one of the few providers that can offer complete end-to-end mobile Internet solutions with a WAP gateway, GPRS infrastructure, mobile phones, browsers and value added services.”

Blu S.p.A. is the Italian telecommunication company of next generation, the era of mobile Internet, using the most advanced technologies and providing the most updated mobile services. Blu is the result of the partnership between 8 national and international companies: Autostrade (32%), BT (20%), Distacom (9%), Edizione Holding – Benetton (9%), Mediaset (9%), BNL (7%), Italgas  Gruppo Eni (7%), Platinus – Gruppo Caltagirone (7%). Blu has headquarters in Naples, offices in Rome and first call center in Florence. Web site address: www.blu.it

Nokia is paving the way to the mobile information society with its innovative products and solutions. The company is the leading mobile phone supplier and a leading supplier of mobile, broadband and IP networks, related services as well as multimedia terminals. In 1999, Nokia's net sales totaled EUR 19.8 billion (USD 19.9 billion). Headquartered in Finland, Nokia is listed on the New York (NOK), Helsinki, Stockholm, London, Frankfurt and Paris stock exchanges and employs more than 56,000 people. Web Site address: www.nokia.com

Contact information:

Communications Department, Nokia Networks,
Tel. (Int.) + 358 9 5113 8193
Fax (Int.) + 358 9 5113 8199
Email: nokia.networks@nokia.com

Notes to editors:

The Nokia GPRS solution includes the industry's strongest and most efficient core GPRS system and Connecting@Care support services including applications consultancy and systems integration expertise to integrate the GPRS core network into the existing service delivery and billing environment. Since August 1999, Nokia has delivered and implemented more than 40 GPRS core networks to leading operators in Europe, USA, Asia and China, and now has the largest installed base of any other supplier.

Nokia's comprehensive range of WAP infrastructure is based on open standards and platforms, which enables the creation of feature-rich secure WAP services addressing both the consumers and business segment. Nokia can offer operators what few others in the industry can; a complete end to-end WAP solution, including WAP gateways, portals, mobile terminals, browsers, tools for WAP-based content creation and delivery, end-user application platforms, and systems integration services. In addition to infrastructure, Nokia Professional Services provides comprehensive service solutions for planning, deploying, managing, and enhancing WAP solutions.