724 Solutions and Nokia to co-operate in multimedia messaging

Effective immediately, 724 Solutions will transition the development and support of the product to its Toronto development center.

The Multimedia Application Gateway joins 724 Solutions' X-treme Mobility Suite and, in addition to distribution through Nokia, will be available to 724 Solutions' mobile operator customers through direct and other partner channels.

The Multimedia Application Gateway is a leading multimedia service platform that extends the reach of MMS through five services, including legacy support for non-compatible MMS terminals, providing connectivity between e-mail and MMS users, receiving voice messages on MMS terminals, composing multimedia messages and storing and forwarding MMS messages from a personal album application.

The Nokia Multimedia Application Gateway is part of Nokia's MMS solution, which is deployed in close to 70 mobile networks globally. The majority of Nokia's MMS deployments include the AGW product.

'Our focus is to deliver platforms and applications to mobile network operators that give them the capabilities to grow their mobile data revenues,' said John Sims, CEO of 724 Solutions.

'The AGW is positioned within the key growth sector of MMS messaging and as such we believe that it will provide excellent growth opportunities for our customers and we are very pleased to be working with Nokia in this important area,' said Sims.

'Our goal is to make sure we continue to offer the market's most competitive MMS infrastructure solution to our present and future mobile operator customers. Through the expertise 724 Solutions has in the service platform business, we will continue to offer a product that represents the state-of-the-art technology and know-how on the market,' said Bo Lönnqvist, General Manager, Messaging Product Line, Networks, Nokia.

'Divesting Nokia Multimedia Application Gateway, an element of our MMS solution, to 724 Solutions will allow us to further develop and expand messaging solutions that fall into Nokia's core competence, thereby giving more added value to our operator customers also in the long term,' said Lönnqvist.

This transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and it is expected that closing will occur within three weeks.