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WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
First Hop® Wireless Broker Chosen by Vodafone Greece to Deliver High-Volume MMS Content Services
Helsinki, Finland - 14 September, 2004 - First Hop, a proven leader in mobile middleware, and Vodafone (Greece) today announced that Vodafone has chosen First Hop® Wireless Broker for the delivery of Vodafone live! messaging services, including a groundbreaking solution for delivering high-volume MMS content services.
Vodafone, the number #1 mobile operator in Greece, launched the popular Vodafone live! services in the autumn of 2003. The Vodafone live! launch in Greece was preceded by an analysis of the local service appetite and of the experiences of Vodafone live! launched in other European markets. The service portfolio was then developed based on the local preferences and international experiences, backed up by a strong marketing effort used successfully also in other markets. The quick pick-up rate for the services has been a reason for delight at Vodafone.
Vodafone chose the First Hop® Wireless Broker suite, including Message Router and Service Manager, to power the Vodafone live! services. First Hop products were deployed and integrated into the operators service network as a joint effort by Vodafone and the First Hop staff within a very fast timetable. The products are running in operation since the launch of Vodafone live!. Message Router is used for connecting Vodafone live! subscribers into a dynamic set of SMS and MMS -based content services, accessible by both pre-paid and post-paid subscribers. Service Manager is used for provisioning wireless content services, as well as for managing the content and application providers. Vodafone chose First Hop Wireless Broker to power its most prestigious wireless content services as First Hop came with very strong references, including a large number of other Vodafone networks.
Vodafone Greece has also deployed the MMS Direct Delivery Solution from First Hop, enabling the operator to deliver high peak volumes of MMS messages to subscribers over a very short period of time, and to off-load the MMS centres. This way Vodafone was ready to cope with large bursts of traffic during the Euro 2004 Football Championships or the Olympic Games in Athens this summer. By using MMS Direct Delivery, Vodafone can launch a wide range of multimedia content services that will allow the subscribers to stay on top of the latest news and results at all times, with a more vivid and colourful user experience than ever before.
First Hop's recently launched MMS Direct Delivery Solution allows mobile operators to prepare for temporary peaks in multimedia message traffic in a cost-efficient and secure manner. While enabling smooth delivery of, for example, real-time sports news to a mass audience, it ensures reliable delivery of every-day messages through the operator's message centres. At the same time, the operator gets a unified view for managing all services and content providers regardless of the delivery mechanisms, whether direct or through message centres.
"This contract further expands First Hops position as a trusted vendor within the Vodafone Group", says Thomas Dahlblom, Vice President of Sales at First Hop. "Vodafone is the first customer to deploy First Hop Wireless Broker for the direct delivery of high-volume MMS content services. Our common experiences suggest that both the business concept and the technology will gain significant popularity among wireless content services".
Message Router is a high-availability, carrier-grade solution that enables flexible and vendor-independent routing of messages between value-added messaging services and mobile devices. Message Router connects SMS/EMS/MMS and WAP Push applications to different types of messaging centres. Message Router offers rich functionality to mobile messaging providers by making services faster to introduce, easier to connect, and continuously available. Message Router can also provide MMS Direct Delivery services.
Service Manager is specifically designed to support the requirements of a rapidly evolving portfolio of services. It allows mobile operators and third-party service providers to maximise their success in the marketplace by actively managing a dynamic, evolving service portfolio. Service Manager enables flexible business processes between the mobile operator and their service providers, while at the same time enables mobile operators to retain full business control over service provisioning and revenues.
About Vodafone
Vodafone Greece was founded in Greece in 1992 (under the brand name Panafon), by a consortium constituted by Vodafone Group Plc, France Telecom, Intracom and Data Bank., while on January 2002 it changed its brand name to Vodafone. The headquarters of the company are situated in Halandri - Athens, whilst it employs more than 2,400 people.
Vodafone Greece is listed on the Athens Stock Exchange since December 1998, as well as to the London Stock Exchange, where its shares are being negotiated in the form of an international security. On March 23rd 2004, the board of shareholders took the decision of the delisting of the company from ASE. Vodafone Group Plc is the main shareholder of the company, holding 99.4% of its shares.
Strategic goal of Vodafone Greece is the provision of high quality services of mobile communication to the Greek public, in parallel with the satisfaction of the needs of the public for mobile communication.
The business activity of Vodafone Greece is related to mobile telephony, offering services both for prepay and post pay users. Vodafone has been the first to launch in the Greek market services, such as Vodafone live! and Vodafone Mobile Connect Card for corporate users.
Vodafone Greece has established one of the largest customer bases in the Greek market, placing the Vodafone customer in the core of the companys business strategy. The company constitutes one of the most profitable organizations in the Greek market with almost 3.7 million users and revenues exceeding 1.470 million during the last financial year (April 03 - March 04).
About First Hop
First Hop, a proven leader in mobile middleware, offers products to mobile operators and service providers for the delivery and business management of wireless content services. The product suite, First Hop® Wireless Broker, enables mobile operators and service providers to develop their role as a strategic point of control in wireless content business. First Hops products allow mobile operators and service providers to manage the end-to-end process of wireless content delivery through all the relevant channels, offer targeted, dynamic content service portfolios, and apply highly flexible wireless content business models. First Hop® Wireless Broker is a modular service delivery platform core that allows operators to manage VAS business stand-alone, while providing unlimited integration capability to billing systems, messaging centres, databases, and supporting application servers or network elements.
First Hop, employing 75 people, is a fast-growing, solid, and financially profitable company. Founded in 1997, First Hop is privately held and headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, with sales and support operations in the UK, Spain, Dubai, Singapore, and Australia. First Hops products have been deployed in more than 40 mobile networks worldwide, such as Vodafone, T-Mobile, and Orange, serving over 200 million mobile users accessing value-added services.
In January 2004, First Hop received the Finnish Software Industry Award for International Breakthrough. The jury decision was based on the companys success in penetrating the global mobile middleware market with the First Hop® Wireless Broker software suite, with 15 new international mobile operator customers during 2003. First Hop wins new operator customers around the world at an impressive rate and addresses the fast growing mobile middleware market that is estimated to total 1.7B$ in 2007.
For further information, please visit www.firsthop.com.
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