Ericsson Enables the World's First Inter-Operator Live MMS Demonstration in China

Ericsson's Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is an end-to-end solution enabling operators to deliver a rich MMS experience to customers

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 15, 2002 - The world's first inter-operator live demonstration of a breakthrough in Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) technology is presented today by China's leading mobile operator, China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC) with its counterpart, SmarTone Mobile Communications Limited of Hong Kong.




Back-end support from Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERICY) has realized the delivery of a rich MMS experience to users, testifying Ericsson's pole position in Mobile Internet.

The inter-operator demonstration using Sony Ericsson T68i handset was presented in Guangzhou, China. The demonstration fully displayed the capabilities of various MMS applications including Inter-operator MMS functionality.

Inter-operator MMS will bring dimension to business people for message exchange with business partners while on the move in different regions or countries. On the leisure side, users can exchange images and sounds, photos and even video clips with friends and family.

"It has been recognized that MMS is to be the significant driver of GPRS and 3G for business take-off and development. MMS provides users with unprecedented user experiences and will further promote Monternet in China. The fact that CMCC successfully completed China's first MMS interoperability demonstration will have profound impact on China's mobile communication industry," says Mr. Lu Xiangdong, CMCC Deputy General Manager.

"MMS presages a revolution in mobile communications. While data services are seen as an important growth factor in the global mobile industry, there have been no real compelling consumer applications until now. MMS technology and applications represent a vital first step on the road to realising the full potential of data centric services. SmarTone's first MMS application will be our PictureMail service, allowing customers to capture important moments and to share them instantly with whomever they choose," says Mr Douglas Li, Chief Executive Officer of SmarTone.

"Ericsson has long established strategic partnership with CMCC and SmarTone HK. Ericsson's strong support to this success with our MMS technology platform proves again our commitment to customers' business development and Ericsson's leadership in mobile communication," says Mr. Ken Zhang, Chief Technology Officer of Ericsson China.

Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world.

Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/press About China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC)

CMCC is China's largest mobile operator with over100 million subscribers. CMCC also owns the world's largest base of subscribers. CMCC launched last year mobile data services, Monternet. 2001 sees 15.9 billion SMS for CMCC. For more information, please visit http://www.chinamobile.com

About Smartone Mobile Communications Limited ("Smartone")

SmarTone is a pioneer in mobile communications in Asia, being the first operator to launch GSM mobile services in 1993. It was the first to fully enable General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) in the territory. SmarTone has been awarded a 3G mobile services licence in Hong Kong and it is committed to be a full scope 3G network operator and service provider enabling wireless multimedia and personalized services. SmarTone (SEHK: 0315) is a public listed company in Hong Kong. For more information, please visit the Company's website: http://www.smartone.com.hk.

Ericsson, Global leader of MMS

MMS is widely believed to be the fastest-growing mobile services in the coming years. As the global leader in the world's telecommunication industry, Ericsson's connected with all the breakthroughs in the development of MMS:

-- In March 2001, Ericsson sent out the World's first multimedia message.

-- In January 2002, Ericsson won the contract from British operator, Vodafone for their global MMS rollout.

-- In May 2002, Ericsson and Westel, the Hungarian operator, launched the world's first commercial, full-scale Multimedia Messaging Services.

-- In China, Ericsson co-operated with Chongqing Mobile, the subsidiary of CMCC, sent out the first multimedia message based on the current GPRS network in China.

Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/mms

CONTACT:
Ericsson Inc.
Corporate Communications:
Kathy Egan, 212/685-4030
pressrelations@ericsson.com
Investor Relations:
Glenn Sapadin, 212/685-4030
investor.relations@ericsson.com


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