[Siemens introduces its first W-CDMA handset via its collaboration with Motorola, the tri-band multimedia-enabled U10 with a built-in camera.]

Siemens Information and Communication Mobile (Siemens mobile) unveils the U10 - its first UMTS colour-screen mobile phone operating both in W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) networks and in GSM/GPRS 900/1800 and 1900 MHz frequency bands - today in New York. Siemens mobile will distribute U10 3G handsets, a first result of the technical collaboration with Motorola, to selected operators to help build up UMTS networks and services. One of the first manufacturers to offer 3G handsets to UMTS carriers, the Germany-headquartered company has also created a dedicated 3G service and customer support team to assist their customers to drive next generation telecomms development.

The U10 is a mobile multimedia powerhouse. It has an integrated camera which rotates 180 degrees and captures video with sound and still images. With its Multi Media Messaging and Email capabilities sending and receiving images, video clips, and melodies happens fast and easily. With high speed Internet access via WAP 2.0 it allows data streaming at up to 384kbs and offers the download of additional applications based on JavaTM Wireless Technology as well as connectivity to peripheral devices such as laptop computers through Bluetooth, USB or infrared. The U10 supports video streaming with file formats such as MPEG-4 and music files like MP3 and AAC (Advanced Audio Coding). It has 2MB worth of memory expandable with a MultiMediaCardTM.

Siemens mobile aims to use the 3G network trials as a platform to test its first 3G consumer product. The European number two mobile manufacturer will first use the U10 for selected customers and formed a new 3G customer support department to support those clients and assess their feedback of the phone's capabilities. Recording, watching and sending video for instance, as well as testing video download speeds will not only reveal the performance of UMTS features, but also help both network operators and Siemens mobile to assess consumer expectations to ensure the 3G promise matches its delivery.

Peter Zapf, President of Mobile Phones within the Siemens Information and Communication Mobile Group says: "Shipping the first Siemens mobile 3G phones for testing is hugely exciting for us. Forming a dedicated 3G team to link with our selected customers will help operators and us accurately assess the U10's potential network performance. This will give us the perfect platform to discover which features we should pack into our next generation consumer phones. For us, the reality is much more exciting than the hype."

The U10 will be available with selected operators in Europe for testing purposes from December 2002.

More...

Back to Headlines...