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ITU
Telecom World 2003
October
15, 2003
Microsoft, Vodafone to develop mobile
Web services standards
GENEVA
-- Microsoft Corp. and Vodafone outlined their plans
to help create mobile Web services standards that will
enable new business opportunities for application developers
and mobile network operators and deliver new integrated
services for customers across fixed (wired) and wireless
networks.
Mobile
Web services will utilise existing industry standard
XML-based Web services architecture to expose mobile
network services to the broadest audience of developers.
Developers will be able to access and integrate mobile
network services such as messaging, location, authentication
and billing into their applications. The companies'
efforts will help expand commercial opportunities for
developers to further promote their applications and
enable solutions that work seamlessly across PC and
mobile environments. Customers will be able to use mobile
Web services from multiple devices on wired and wireless
networks.
During
a keynote presentation at ITU Telecom World 2003, Bill
Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft,
and Ian Maxwell, group strategic relationship director
of Vodafone, outlined the companies' vision of providing
developers with access to mobile services using industry-standard
Web services techniques and tools. Microsoft and Vodafone
called upon the industry to embrace this approach to
bring about the convergence of PC and mobile applications
and services through Web services standards. The companies
also announced their plans to detail a technical roadmap
of the mobile Web services specifications on which they
intend to collaborate and seek industry engagement.
Maxwell
said: "With the creation of mobile Web services
standards, developers and operators will be able to
deliver new and exciting services to customers. By bringing
mobile services into the PC world, Microsoft and Vodafone
are offering developers the opportunity to create greater
value services for customers and new revenues."
Eric
Rudder, senior vice president, servers and tools, Microsoft,
added: "Web services are already redefining the
way that customers build applications. Extending Web
services into the mobile world is a natural next step.
Microsoft and Vodafone are committed to working across
the computing and mobile industries to speed the development
of mobile Web services."
Contact:
Microsoft
www.microsoft.com
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