Nokia and SingTel announced today their collaboration to bring together the best of two worlds, 2G/3G and WLAN (Wireless LAN) in an integrated dual-mode telephony solution on Nokia E60, Nokia E61 and Nokia N80 Internet Edition. SingTel’s VoIP on mobile service, which is unique in its kind, combines the mobility of cellular and the cost-effectiveness of wireless broadband. Selected SingTel Mobile subscribers will be invited for a service trial which will allow them to use voice and data services from home and on the move through SingNet Wireless Surf Zones. The commercial launch of the service is expected to be later this year.

“Nokia is pleased to co-operate with SingTel on this industry leading initiative on our range of multiradio mobile devices”, said Chris Carr, General Manager, Customer Market and Operations, Nokia Singapore, “Consumers can now experience the power of mobility and benefit from accessing Internet services and calls without being connected to a computer.”

Vicki Brady, Vice President (Consumer Marketing), SingTel said, “SingTel is proud to be one of the first operators globally working with Nokia to bring VoIP services over Wireless LAN to our customers using Nokia devices. With SingTel’s VoIP on mobile service, our customers can make local calls over the Internet with their VoIP handsets for a fixed monthly fee.”

Nokia E60, Nokia E61 and the Nokia N80 Internet Edition are the first Nokia devices that are able to support SIP-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). All three devices work on 2G, 3G and WLAN networks. The Nokia N80 Internet Edition is the first ever handset to enable seamless home media networking between compatible TVs, audio systems and PCs.

SingTel’s VoIP on mobile service will be available to non-business customers on postpaid mobile plans, allowing them to make unlimited local calls using their SIP-enabled VoIP devices. The service can be accessed using the WiFi network at home or through more than 330 SingTel Wireless Hotspots across the island. The subscription fees for the service will be announced in due time.

GPON trial is first in Asia-Pacific, prepares for Next Gen National Infrastructure, Residential Metro Ethernet trial is first in Singapore

Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) today announced that Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel), Southeast Asia’s largest telecommunications company, has selected Alcatel for the first ever Gigabit Passive Optical Networking (GPON) trial in the Asia Pacific region and the first residential Metro Ethernet trial in Singapore.

The SingTel GPON and Metro Ethernet trials, which begin this summer, will utilize a future-proof fiber access technology in the Singapore market.

In March 2006, Singapore announced plans to create a Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure (Next Gen NII), which aims to evolve to a nation-wide platform for information sharing and communication. The Next Gen NII will be capable of delivering ultra-high speeds of 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps as early as 2008, enabling advanced triple play services (voice, video, and data).

“SingTel considers our role as being complementary to the upcoming plan. We have the most extensive and advanced fibre optic network in Singapore and we are committed to evolving and enhancing our network infrastructure to enable the delivery of innovative services to meet market demand,” said Hui Weng Cheong, SingTel’s Vice President (Consumer Product) and CEO of SingNet. “By trialling GPON and Metro Ethernet solutions with Alcatel, we are creating the framework for ultra-high speed broadband access services, thereby delivering even greater value to our customers” Mr Hui added.

As the global leader in broadband access, Alcatel is the first vendor to deliver a Full Service Access Network (FSAN) Group-compliant GPON system. The Alcatel 7342 Intelligent Services Access Manager fiber-to-the-user (ISAM FTTU) solution is designed to provide the high data rates, interoperability and quality of service (QoS) that service providers need to advance the adoption of triple play services by the subscribers. Alcatel’s solution ideally satisfies customer demand for high bandwidth, user-centric broadband services at the cost of copper access.

For the Metro Ethernet aspect of the trial, Alcatel is providing its 7450 Ethernet Service Switch and 5620 Service Aware Manager. The solution has unique hierarchical quality of service (H-QoS) capabilities that can differentiate the traffic it carries and optimize bandwidth. As well, the Alcatel 7450 supports multiple service types with tremendous scale and quality of service, which guarantees that stringent Service Level Agreements (SLAs) on business-critical data applications can be met.

“As the industry leader in GPON solutions, and a major player in the IP Service Edge Router sector, we see these trials by SingTel as concrete evidence of their strategy to continuously innovate, and offer their customers higher bandwidth for an ever increasing mix of advance triple play services of voice, data and video”, said Michel Rahier, President of Alcatel’s fixed communications activities.

Nokia, the world leader in mobile communications, and SingTel, Asia’s leading communications group, today announced the launch of the Nokia and SingTel Multiplayer Game Quest 2006. With Forum Nokia, the world’s leading mobile developer programme as its exclusive partner, SingTel is inviting all Forum Nokia PRO members to take up the challenge to create high quality cross-platform or multiplayer Java(TM) games. Up to 20 privileged finalists will have the opportunity to develop and offer their games for commercial distribution through SingTel Mobile, and potentially with Bridge Mobile Alliance to more than 80 million subscribers in Asia Pacific under the alliance’s regional content sharing initiative.

The challenge invites developers to send in their proposals for the following categories: cross platform gaming (simultaneous gameplay between mobile devices and fixed devices), multiplayer gaming for the male segment, and also for the female segment. The games should run on Nokia’s Java(TM)-enabled mobile devices.

Developers are required to submit their proposals for the Nokia and SingTel Multiplayer Game Quest by 14 July 2006. After the first round of judging, companies that had submitted the top 20 proposals will be invited to develop their games by mid-October 2006. Winners and runners-up in each category stand to walk away with the opportunity to launch their winning games with up to 9 operators in the region, cash prizes and Nokia devices.

Shankar Meembat, Regional Director, Forum Nokia, Asia Pacific, said, “Forum Nokia’s PRO community comprises members who are dedicated to creating effective applications for mobile devices. The Nokia and SingTel Multiplayer Game Quest invites them to pit their creativity and game development skills against one another, but more importantly, to develop cross-platform and multi-player games that will not only provide revenue opportunities for SingTel and the Bridge Mobile Alliance consortium, but also hours of fun gaming for consumers.”

Nokia currently has more than 400 members in its Forum Nokia PRO community, including leading games developers in the Asia Pacific region like Indiagames (India), Paradox Studios (India), Activate Interactive (Singapore), Noumena Innovations (Hong Kong) and KongZhong Mobile (China). Popular applications for mobile devices, such as Hinter Wars (Activate Interactive) and MGS 3.0 (Noumena Innovations) are examples of games created by Forum Nokia PRO members.

Mr Low Ka Hoe, SingTel’s Director, Content, said, “The Nokia and SingTel Multiplayer Game Quest is a platform for us to offer new and innovative cross platform multiplayer games for our loyal customers in Singapore and subscribers with our affiliates across the region. This is made possible through the expertise of the Forum Nokia PRO community. This initiative comes at a time when there is a growing demand for cross platform and multiplayer games from mobile phone users. This can be observed from our GamesXtreme League portal (www.gxleague.com), where competitive gaming goes beyond traditional PC and console devices. Connected gaming on-the-move is now a fast emerging trend. By embracing and delivering services built on converged technology, SingTel leads the industry both locally and in the region by providing customers with exciting and new content and user experiences.”