Oslo, Norway and Barcelona, Spain – 14 February 2006
Fast Search & Transfer ASA (FAST), Telenor R&D and Opera Software ASA are collaborating to bring best-in-breed technology and end-user expertise to mobile portals. The three companies are developing a complete system for delivering relevant location-based information, including localized content, news feeds, maps and traveling information directly to end-users’ mobile phones.
The R&D solution will be demonstrated at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain at the Opera Software stand (E36/37).
Opera is contributing its advanced browser technology to the project. “Mobile Web applications based on AJAX technologies are perfect for development of mobile content,” says Christen Krogh, VP of Engineering, Opera Software. “Telenor and FAST are great partners and we benefit significantly from combining their cutting edge technologies with our own.”
FAST is contributing its search technology and expertise. “Mobile content today is not made easily available to end users,” says Michael Brady, Senior Director, Business Development at FAST. “By leveraging FAST mSearchâ„¢, our mobile search platform that intelligently manages search access from mobile devices, with the rich capabilities in the browser client and location information, the end user can be presented with always- updated and relevant, personalized information just by looking on the display.”
Telenor R&D is contributing customer and market insight to the project, including service concept specifications, location services and running an extensive field trial to gain user experience feedback. “This solution will provide a complete ecosystem where content providers can offer relevant information directly to the end-user, without the need for navigating through wap portals,” says Hans Christian Haugli, CEO Telenor R&D. “We expect great results from combining an open ecosystem for content providers with user friendly services directly on the home screen of the terminals.”
Availability: The three companies plan to run a pilot of the solution during Q2 2006.
This collaboration initiative shows the potential power of Movation, the new Norwegian Technology think tank. Movation brings Norway’s leading IT innovators together to concentrate on developing innovative, user-friendly solutions to the mobile marketplace.
About FAST
FAST is the leading developer of enterprise search technologies and solutions that are behind the scenes at the world’s best known companies with the most demanding search problems. FAST’s flexible and scalable enterprise search platform (FAST ESP) elevates the search capabilities of enterprise customers and connects people to the relevant information they seek regardless of medium. This drives revenues and reduces total cost of ownership by effectively leveraging IT infrastructure. FAST’s solutions are used by more than 2,600 global customers and partners, including America Online (AOL), Cardinal Health, CareerBuilder.com, Chordiant, CIGNA, CNET, Dell, Factiva, Fidelity Investments, Findexa, IBM, Knight Ridder, LexisNexis, Overture, Rakuten, Reed Elsevier, Reuters, Sensis, Stellent, Tenet Healthcare, Thomas Industrial Networks, T-Online, US Army, Virgilio (Telecom Italia), Vodafone, and Wanadoo.
FAST is headquartered in Norway and is publicly traded under the ticker symbol ‘FAST’ on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The FAST Group operates globally with presence in Europe, the United States, Asia Pacific, Australia, South America, and the Middle East. For further information about FAST, please visit www.fastsearch.com.
About Telenor
Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Telenor is an international provider of high quality telecommunications, data and media communication services. Telenor is one of Norway’s largest companies with revenues in 2004 of approx. NOK 61.3 billion and a work force of 20,900 domestically and abroad. Telenor is listed at the Oslo Stock Exchange (TEL) and Nasdaq in New York (TELN). Telenor R&D gives important contributions to innovation and new services. See http://www.telenor.com/.