3GSM World Congress 2006, Barcelona, Spain/Espoo, Finland - Nokia Corporation and Vodafone have today announced that they are collaborating to strengthen the S60 software platform's role in Vodafone's device portfolio. The collaboration will help Vodafone to offer new services more quickly to its customers by increasing the use of S60 as a standard software platform for mobile handsets worldwide.

"Standardisation of handset software platforms across mobile phone manufacturers offers significant opportunities for Vodafone. We will be able to reduce time to market for new products and services and help customers take up new services more quickly. The fact that Nokia is developing the S60 platform in close co-operation with us further enhances our ability to offer innovative and consistent new services in a competitive and efficient way," said Dirk Wierzbitzki, Deputy Director of Terminals, Vodafone Group.

S60 offers Vodafone the leading technologies in customization, extensive support for new mobile services, and the baseline for best in class user experience. S60 customization capabilities, proven by strong track record in satisfying operator needs, help Vodafone to differentiate their services and applications. Together with the S60 community, Vodafone will also be able to enhance user interfaces (UI) of mobile devices.

"We are very pleased with Vodafone's choice of S60 as a preferred device software platform. This collaboration is an important step towards increased service differentiation and innovation speed for the whole industry. S60 platform offers a rich application suite, great extensibility and ease-of-use for multimedia, imaging and business services. High priority is given to the customization and application development needs of the operators," said Matti V?¤nsk?¤, Vice President, Mobile Software Sales and Marketing, Nokia.

Nokia and Vodafone will develop a Vodafone-specific software complement on top of the S60 platform. The collaboration also includes the expansion of the licensee base and increased portfolio penetration through open roadmap governance and establishes a strong independent brand position for both the S60 software and the supporting developer activities. In addition, Nokia and Vodafone are working jointly to promote independently licensable reference designs from semiconductor vendors to enable shorter time to market for new S60 devices.

According to Nokia estimates, the total smartphone industry volume reached approximately 46.3 million units in 2005, compared to an estimated 20.6 million units in 2004. Nokia alone will have cumulatively shipped more than 50 million S60 enabled devices by the end of February 2006 (Nokia, February 2006).

© Vodafone Group 2006. Vodafone is a trade mark of the Vodafone Group. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trade marks of their respective owners.

About Nokia

Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations.

About S60

The S60 built on Symbian OS, is the leading smartphone software in the world and it is licensed by some of the foremost mobile phone manufacturers in the market. The flexibility of the S60 platform allows for various hardware designs and software configurations. This is demonstrated through the multitude of S60 devices already available on the market. Through its award-winning user interface, extensive support for new mobile services and the innovation potential for partner solutions, the S60 provides an open and scalable business opportunity for mobile operators and 3rd party developers. For further information about S60 news and community, please visit www.s60.com.

About Vodafone

Vodafone is the world's largest mobile community, with equity interests in 26 countries and Partner Networks in a further 31 countries, serving over 179 million proportionate customers. Vodafone's global consumer service offering, Vodafone live!, opens up a world of mobile colour communication, bringing news, information, email, chat, location-based services, games and shopping to customers' mobile devices.

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