Nokia and Israeli operator Cellcom have agreed to roll out Nokia's network solution for Push to talk over Cellular (PoC) service. Following successful trials over recent months, Cellcom plans to begin commercial PoC service in the second quarter 2004, making it among the first operators to launch this easy and instant form of mobile communication.
Nokia's carrier grade PoC solution provides competitive performance, a full feature set, and a smooth network software upgrade path to the upcoming Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) standard for PoC.
The agreement will further enhance Nokia's strong relationship with Cellcom, which began with the deployment of Nokia's GSM and GPRS systems. Nokia is sole supplier of Cellcom's nationwide GSM/GPRS/EDGE network. Deliveries of Nokia's PoC network solution for Cellcom begin immediately.
Dr. Ytzhak Peterburg, President and CEO of Cellcom:
"Cellcom intends to become the first cellular operator in Israel to launch PTT services. Cellcom highly regards the cooperation and partnership with Nokia, which was selected to become the first supplier for the PoC platforms and handsets. Cellcom considers push to talk service to be a strategic service for the Israeli market and as such, will be extremely popular among its entire range of customers."
"This PoC deal with Cellcom demonstrates Nokia's progress in the service platform area," says Yossi Atias, Senior Account Manager, Networks, Nokia. "We are happy to be supporting Cellcom in launching advanced services with the most innovative and robust solutions on the market."
With more than 30 operator trials ongoing, and five public commercial contracts, Nokia is leading the market for Push to talk over Cellular. Nokia's first push to talk terminal, the Nokia 5140 will be commercially available during the second quarter this year. During 2004, Nokia will introduce a full range of push to talk capable GSM phones, including Symbian OS based smart phones. From 2005 onwards, push to talk will become available for virtually all Nokia GPRS/WCDMA phones.
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia is dedicated to enhancing people's lives and productivity by providing easy-to-use and secure products like mobile phones, and solutions for imaging, games, media, mobile network operators and businesses. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on five major exchanges.
Media Enquiries:
Communications
Networks, Nokia
Tel. + 358 7180 38198
E-mail: networks.communications@nokia.com
Nokia
Communications
Tel. +358 7180 34900
E-mail: press.office@nokia.com
Cellcom Israel Ltd.
Communications
Tel: +972 9 9599695
Mrs. Galitt Tuchterman
www.Cellcom.co.il
www.nokia.com