Archiwum dla Kwiecień, 2009
Ericsson (SE) – Ericsson reports first quarter results
Ericsson reports first quarter results
Sales SEK 49.6 (44.2) b, up 5% for comparable units in constant currencies
Operating income 1) before joint ventures SEK 4.7 (3.4) b
Operating margin 1) before joint ventures 9.5% (7.6%)
Share in earnings from joint ventures SEK -2.2 (0.9) b
Income after financial items 1) SEK 3.3 (4.5) b
Restructuring charges SEK 0.7 (0.8) b, excluding joint ventures
Net income SEK 1.8 (2.6) b
Earnings per share SEK 0.54 (0.83)
Cash flow 2) 3) SEK -1.7 (2.8) b, including SEK 1.5 b pension trusts payment
1) Excluding restructuring charges.
2) Excluding cash outlays for restructuring of SEK 1.2 (0.3) b
3) Excluding dividend from Sony Ericsson of SEK 0.0 (2.2) b
CEO COMMENTS
„We have started the year with good growth ahead of the market and a positive margin trend but with a weaker cash flow,” said Carl-Henric Svanberg, President and CEO of Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC). „Sales of network infrastructure are stable and the demand for professional services is growing. We have won several strategic contracts during the quarter, including 3G for China Unicom, 4G for Verizon Wireless and managed services for Vodafone UK.
The effects of the global economic recession on the global mobile network market are so far limited. We have seen operators, in a few markets where local currencies have depreciated dramatically, postpone investments. Some operators are also more cautious with longer-term investments in fixed networks, such as rollout of fiber networks. Most operators, however, have healthy financial positions, there is a strong traffic growth and the networks are fairly loaded.
It remains difficult to more precisely predict how operators will act in the current environment. However, investments in wireless networks largely continues, and rollouts of new networks and new technologies accelerate in markets such as the US, China and India. Telecom plays a critical role for growth and development of societies, and fixed and mobile broadband rollouts are now on political agendas in most countries.
Our cost reduction activities are running according to plan, targeting annual savings of SEK 10 b. from the second half of 2010. With our business mix, worldwide presence and early decision to cut costs, we are well positioned to strengthen our leadership in the present turbulent economic environment.
Our joint ventures, Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson, are affected by the economic downturn and the dramatic decline in consumer demand for handsets. Extensive programs to reduce costs are ongoing to adjust to the current market environment and restore profitability,” concluded Carl-Henric Svanberg.
ST-Ericsson reports financial results[1] for its first two months of operation
50/50 joint venture between Ericsson and STMicroelectronics started operations on February 2nd 2009, creating a new wireless-semiconductor industry leader
Net sales $391 million
Operating loss $98 million
$230 million of annualized savings expected from a new program of resources and operations re-alignment to reflect outcome of the integration as well as current unfavorable business environment
Continuous focus on innovation and strengthening of strategic partnerships with customers since the launch of the company in February 2009
Geneva – Switzerland -April 29, 2009 – ST-Ericsson, a joint venture of STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) and Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC), reported financial results for its first two months of operation from February 2nd 2009.
President and CEO Alain Dutheil commented: „Our sales development in the quarter reflects the broad-based economic downturn that has led to weaker consumer demand for handsets and put pressure on the overall wireless semiconductor industry.
Even in such a challenging climate, during the first quarter of 2009 we confirmed our number two position in the market, we renewed our focus on innovation and we strengthened our partnership with key customers.
We were the first to consolidate in our industry, creating a new global leader in wireless platforms and semiconductors, and we are currently executing on an alignment of our operations that will allow us to shape the long term success of the company, while creating a sustainable cost structure for the short and medium term.
A more efficient and integrated product strategy, based on the future convergence of our 3G roadmap and on our continued commitment on 2G/EDGE and connectivity, as well as a strong focus on next generation access technologies, will help us achieve our short and long term objectives and continue to offer our customers a complete and innovative portfolio of solutions.”
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
First Quarter 2009 actual (Feb 2 – March 28 2009)
$ millionsFeb – March 2009
Income Statement
NET SALES391
OPERATING INCOME/(LOSS) (98) [2]
NET INCOME/(LOSS)(89)
Net sales in the two months of operations reflected the economic downturn that led to weaker consumer demand especially in Europe, mainly in the feature phones segment, reinforced by overall inventory reduction in the handset supply chain.
The operating loss of $98 million was a consequence both of the level of sales and of price pressure on margins, partially offset by already planned reductions in operating expenses related to the cost synergies program previously announced by ST-NXP Wireless in November 2008. Net cash [3] was $358 million at the end of Q109.
Alignment of operations and resources
A restructuring plan is being launched for immediate execution and is due to be completed by the second quarter of 2010. This plan is incremental to the $250 million cost synergies program announced by ST-NXP Wireless in November 2008.
Annualized savings of the new restructuring plan are expected to be approximately $230 million upon completion. Restructuring costs are estimated in the range of $70 – 90 million, of which the majority is expected to be recorded during the second quarter of 2009.
The main assumptions of the restructuring plan are: a re-alignment of product roadmaps to create a more agile and cost efficient R&D organization; and a reduction in workforce of 1,200 worldwide to reflect further integration activities following the merger, lower sales volumes and limited visibility on the timing of market recovery.
Market evolution
„In view of the continued uncertainty of the global economy and in accordance with published industry forecasts, we see a continued challenging 2009 for our industry” said Alain Dutheil. „However, we believe that the destocking phase is substantially over, even if we have yet to see signs of a broad-based pick-up of demand in our industry”.
Q1 2009 Highlights- Products, Technology and Wins
In February 2009 the company announced its cooperation with Nokia to provide a Next-Generation Smartphone Platform for Symbian Foundation, with a reference platform based on ST-Ericsson’s U8500 single chip.
Also in February the company announced its collaboration with ARM to demonstrate the world’s first Symmetric Multi Processing mobile platform technology running on Symbian OS.
In March, the company launched fully integrated single-chip solutions for feature-rich, low-cost handsets. ST-Ericsson’s 4910 and 4908 EDGE platforms combine the industry’s highest level of integration and cost-efficiency, with both digital and analog basebands, RF transceiver and power management unit (PMU) in a single chip.
A next-generation mobile audio digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for the mobile music market was also launched. ST-Ericsson’s STw5211 further extends the company’s wide portfolio of audio solutions with enhanced performance.
PRO-FORMA INFORMATION[4]
Q1 09
Pro-formaQ4 08
Pro-formaQ3 08
Pro-formaQ2 08
Pro-formaQ1 08
Pro-forma
NET SALES5627461,003966862
OPERATING INCOME/ (LOSS)(179)(127)(59)(94)(121)
Ericsson and MobiCom bring mobile broadband to Mongolia
Mongolian operator MobiCom has launched the first high-speed mobile broadband network in the country, powered by HSPA technology from Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC). The launch enables MobiCom to introduce mobile broadband services to its subscribers across Mongolia, starting in the capital Ulaanbaatar where about 40 percent of the country’s 3 million inhabitants live.
Ericsson’s leading HSPA technology provides fast data-transmission speeds, boosts network capacity and lowers response times for interactive services. The new HSPA-enabled network will allow MobiCom to offer a range of new services, such as high-speed mobile internet access, video telephony, multimedia messaging (MMS) and other innovative multimedia services related to e-health and e-commerce.
Under the contract, Ericsson is the sole supplier of the WCDMA/HSPA radio access network. It is also responsible for network deployment and a wide range of professional services, including systems integration of MobiCom’s multi-vendor network, support and competence development.
Bolor Dorjnamjil, CEO of MobiCom Corporataion LLC, says: „This launch reflects MobiCom’s continuous commitment to offering its subscribers the latest services and applications. MobiCom was the first operator to introduce mobile services in Mongolia and is now launching the country’s first mobile broadband services. Ericsson’s experience in 2G-3G network deployments and extensive support capacity make it the ideal partner for this project.”
Jan Campbell, Head of Easter Europe and Central Asia, at Ericsson, says: „It is a great honor to be MobiCom’s partner for this milestone launch of the first 3G network in the country. We are confident that mobile broadband services will further facilitate the development of world-class communications in Mongolia for the benefit of its people.”
Ericsson’s cooperation with MobiCom started in 2004 and includes contracts for GSM radio access and transmission.
Vodafone selects India’s OnMobile for ring back tones in emerging markets
Vodafone announces that it will extend its popular ring back tone service to customers in emerging markets, outside of India, after striking a new deal with India’s OnMobile, a leading provider of value added services.
Today’s announcement between Vodafone Group and OnMobile forms a separate agreement to an existing successful partnership Vodafone’s Indian operation has with OnMobile. Currently, millions of Vodafone customers in India use the ring back tone service, which will be rolled out across Vodafone’s other emerging markets from the Spring.
Ring back tones are widely used, particularly in Asia, where they make up a large proportion of business in the non-downloadable content market. Instead of listening to a traditional dial tone when calling someone, ring back tones let the caller listen to a song or other audio clip chosen by the owner of the mobile device whose number was dialled.
Bobby Rao, Internet Services Marketing Director, Vodafone, said: “Anyone with a mobile phone can use ring back tones. They can be personalised for individual callers and contain music, greetings, jokes as well as special audio effects. Vodafone was one of the first operators to introduce ring back tones and through this deal, we will now be able offer customers in Africa, the rest of Asia and central Europe an affordable way to personalise their phones.”
T-Mobile Announces a UK First for BlackBerry Customers: Pay Once for a Year of Unlimited Email and Internet
For a one-off payment of £179.99 T-Mobile is offering:
§ Silver-coloured BlackBerry® Pearlâ„¢ 8110, which includes a 2 Mega pixel camera and in-built GPS
§ A year’s unlimited* email and internet on your BlackBerry®
§ Pay as you go top-ups for calls, texts and MMS
§ Pre-loaded quick-links for favourite social networking sites and Instant Messaging
§ Available in T-Mobile stores from 1st May
London, 23 April 2009: T-MobileUK today unveils a new way to pay for a BlackBerry®smartphone: Pay once for a silver-coloured BlackBerry® Pearlâ„¢ 8110 smartphone and a year’s unlimited* email and internet access.
The ˜Pay once’ concept is a market first, giving people the chance to experience the hugely popular BlackBerry email service and access to internet sites and social networks on the move for a year “ all for just a single payment of £179.99. Customers just have to top-up their credit as usual to make calls and send texts and picture messages.
T-Mobile’s new offer is set to make BlackBerry smartphones accessible to new groups of mobile phone customers. It’s sure to be a hit with students, letting them stay connected to family and friends by email, via IM, Facebook or MySpace. And for those just starting out in business “ whether they’re running a small business or entering the workplace for the first time “ it’s the perfect way to access personal and work emails, without the worry of hidden costs.
The ˜Pay once’ concept also makes giving a BlackBerry as a gift viable for the first time, as there’s no ongoing cost involved for the person giving the gift, and the recipient just pays for top-ups for calls and texts when they want to.
The T-Mobile BlackBerry Pearlâ„¢ 8110 smartphone comes in silver, and features a 2 Mega pixel camera for snapping photos and recording video, in-built GPS so you’ll never get lost again, and a 3.5mm earphone jack for listening to music on the move. The pre-loaded quick-links include favourite sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Flickr. And as you would expect from a BlackBerry smartphone, there’s also a user-friendly SureType® QWERTY key pad which makes writing messages and making phone calls quick and easy.
Richard Warmsley, Head of Internet and Entertainment, T-MobileUK, commented: T-Mobile’s Pay once BlackBerry is the world’s first package to offer a year’s instant email and internet for a one-off payment. For an affordable £179.99, get a brand new silver BlackBerry Pearl smartphone and unlimited e-mail and web for 12 months, with top-ups available for calls and texts. When life can feel busier than ever, it’s even more important that everyone has the right to easy email and web access to keep friends and family close, and to help to organise their busy lives. Now customers have a grab-and-go quality BlackBerry solution that means they don’t have to think about the cost of using email and internet services for 12 months.
T-Mobile UK appoints Srini Gopalan as New Chief Marketing Officer
London, 21 April 2009: T-MobileUK has appointed Srini Gopalan as Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for revenue development for the business covering customer relationship management, loyalty and retention, brand development and marketing communications.
Gopalan (38) joins T-Mobile from Capital One Bank (Europe) plc, where as Managing Director for Europe, he built a successful challenger brand in the highly competitive financial services market. Before taking up the position of MD in 2007, Gopalan was Head of Marketing and Analysis, spearheading Capital One’s revenue growth, risk management and customer relationship management strategies.
Welcoming Srini, Mark Martin, HR Director, T-Mobile said: With his wealth of experience in revenue management, customer insights and marketing communications, and his track record in building a challenger brand, Srini is perfectly positioned to help us realise our ambitious plans for T-Mobile in the UK.
Commenting on his new role, Srini said: It’s a really great time to be joining T-Mobile “ I’m excited aboutcapitalising on the momentum generated by the iconic ˜Life’s for Sharing’ campaign, and bringing my experience of customer insight and management to such a dynamic sector.
The appointment is announced following the mobile operator’s groundbreaking advertising campaign around its new ˜Life’s for Sharing’ brand strapline. The campaign,centred on 350 dancers in Liverpool Street station in London, has proved to be an internet phenomenon, receiving over 10.5 million views on YouTube.
Before joining Capital One, Srini spent four years as a consultant with leading management consultancy, Accenture. He takes up his position at T-Mobile in June.
O2 Raises cash for children and young people
Youth bus will take activities into the Leeds community
Children and young people from South Leeds are to benefit from a huge fund-raising effort by O2 people in Leeds.
When they voted last year to raise money for the St Luke’s CARES charity, the 2,700 staff aimed for a target of £15,000. Twelve months on, they have more than DOUBLED that amount.
With it they are buying a youth bus for the St Luke CARES mobile youth service. This is used to take activities and care out into the community for young people who may not have the transport to get to their centre in Beeston Road, Leeds. The keys will be handed over at O2 on Friday, May 1, 2009.
The new vehicle, fully fitted for purpose, will replace one which was borrowed. Fund raising took place as part of O2’s “Big Site” project and includes a bursary from Yorkshire Forward. O2 staff are asked to put forward charities of their choice and colleagues are asked to vote on which one they want to help. St Luke’s CARES was put forward by staff who had volunteered for work in the past with the charity and been impressed by their work with young people.
Said Project Chair Mark Nichols: “The mobile youth bus provides a facility that reaches right into the communities that need it most. Witnessing at first hand the faces of children when they see St Luke’s in their own back yard, demonstrates immediately how much they value this service. It is a real and practical way to encourage children to channel their energy into something very positive.”
He added: “Our volunteers have been tireless in their efforts to raise as much money as possible. They have done everything from hand making cards to sell at Christmas to jumping out of aeroplanes.”
The support is part of the O2 It’s Your Community programme, which allows groups, organisations and charities to apply for awards ranging from £100 to £1000 to make a difference within communities. To date over £1 million has been donated to over 1,500 projects across the UK. To find out more and apply visit http://www.itsyourcommunity.co.uk
Foxwood Special School celebrate with O2
O2 THROWS PARTY FOR WARRINGTON SPECIAL SCHOOL
Over £26,000 raised for new garden
O2 staff at Preston Brook threw a party for disabled children at Foxwood Special School in Birchwood to celebrate the end of a year of fundraising as part of the company’s It’s your Community Programme.
Over 1700 people at the customer service centre raised £26,562 to build a multi-sensory garden with wheelchair friendly concrete walkways and specially raised flowerbeds for the 72 students at the school.
On Wednesday the students visited O2’s centre in Preston Brook to celebrate the completion of the project with cakes and fairground games.
They played a life-sized game of Jenga, Connect Four and took part in a Nintendo Wii competition alongside O2 staff. The students also had cakes with their own photographs printed on them. O2 people and students had the chance to win an i-Pod touch mobile phone, shopping vouchers and leisure vouchers in the raffle.
Hayley Adamson, who is Head of Retention and Upgrades at O2 and chair of the Community Crew who carried out the work at the school, said the project had been a rewarding experience for O2 people.
“It has been wonderful to support Fox Wood Special School over the past year,” she said. “Our people have been behind the project 100 per cent, trying to raise as much money as possible. And it’s also been great to roll our sleeves up and get directly involved with the building work too.
“To have the students visit us today to celebrate a year of success is the cherry on the cake,” she said.
The project has transformed the previously derelict and waterlogged land.
The decision to support a local project marked a step change in the way O2 raises funds for charity. For the past three years the company have worked with a single UK charity partner but in 2008 decided to give staff at its five main sites across the country the opportunity to raise cash for a charity of their choice, in their local area.
O2’s support of Foxwood Special School is part of the O2 It’s Your Community programme, which allows groups, organisations and charities to apply for awards ranging from £100 to £1000 to make a difference within communities. To date over £1 million has been donated to over 1,500 projects across the UK. To find out more and apply visit http://www.itsyourcommunity.co.uk
Small businesses determined to survive the credit crunch
– 20 % forecast growth over the next six months
– Nearly half set to invest in new technology
– Maintaining cash flow is the greatest threat
Small businesses have adopted a resilient outlook and a determination to survive the economic crisis, according to a study by O2.
Small Business Confidence Levels
O2’s Small Business Confidence Index questioned nearly 3,000 small business owners to gauge how the community is responding to the current economic climate in the first quarter of 2009.
The research revealed that despite levels of business confidence being at a record low for the majority of respondents (49%), over six out of ten (66 per cent) are determined to make it through the downturn. Over a fifth (21 per cent) are predicting business growth in the next twelve months, whilst seven per cent of bosses cited that their business has been unaffected by the recession. Four in a hundred business owners view the current economic climate as an exciting challenge for their business.
The optimistic approach comes despite a continued gloomy outlook for the sector. Recent reports have predicted that the current economic downturn will see up to six per cent of small businesses collapse in 2009.
Issues impacting levels of confidence in the SME sector
The report revealed that financial issues have now replaced red tape and competition as the greatest cause for concern amongst the UK’s small business community.
Concerns over cash flow was cited as the greatest threat to survival closely followed by a lack of support from the banking sector, with small businesses hopeful the government will do more to help the business community access finance such as loans and overdraft facilities. Cutting corporation tax and a commercial rates relief was identified as a way government could help improve levels of confidence amongst the small business community. A recent move by the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, has seen a deferral from a full rise, with rates rising by two per cent this year instead of the predicted full five per cent, in an attempt to save small firms up to £600 million.
Feedback also revealed two thirds (62%) of the small businesses questioned had not noticed any change in their banks attitude to lending with only two per cent of those questioned feeling they had directly benefited by receiving a loan. Recent cuts in interest rates have reportedly had little effect in helping to restore confidence amongst the sector with over two thirds (64%) stating that a further reduction in rates would have no benefit on their business.
Cost Efficiencies
In an attempt to cut expenditure and increase cost efficiencies, nearly four in ten (39 per cent) of small business owners are set to implement a headcount freeze amongst their workforce with 11% planning to make redundancies. Downsizing on office premises was another popular means of reducing overheads with 17% of those questioned actively looking for smaller commercial premises.
Despite a wave of cost cutting measures, the research revealed that nearly half (49 per cent) of small businesses are continuing to spend on IT and technology in an attempt to benefit from cost efficiencies in the long term.
Converged devices such as iPhones and BlackBerry smartphones were identified as the most popular technology products with increases in staff efficiency and less requirement for fixed office space cited as the greatest reasons behind this continued investment. Recent research from O2 revealed that over one in ten (13 per cent) small businesses have not renewed a lease on an office or business premises and are now working remotely and from home.
This shift to converged devices is supported by sales figures from O2’s London retail outlets which reveal that nine out of ten small business customers have switched to iPhones and BlackBerry smartphones compared to last year when only two in ten small businesses across the UK were using converged devices.
Simon Devonshire, Head of Small Business Marketing, O2 commented: ‘At the end of the first business quarter of 2009, it is evident that there is very much a ‘thrive and survive’ mentality amongst small business owners. Whilst conditions are clearly very tough small businesses are determined not to fall victim to the recession and are scrutinising their business model to see where savings can be made and new business won. Confidence is essential for anyone running a small business and in the current economic climate keeping confidence in yourself, your team and your business is more important than ever. As a result of this, O2 will continue to invest in monitoring the confidence levels of the small business community twice a year to see how business confidence levels progresses’”
In response to the findings of the Small Business Confidence Index, O2 has introduced three new Business Flexibility packages designed exclusively to help small businesses increase flexibility and cut costs. In the first package small business customers can save on hardware investment costs by holding onto their existing handsets and getting a SIM only small business tariff. The second and third packages allow small businesses to switch more easily from business to consumer tariffs or temporarily reduce the number of mobile numbers held by a small business in the event of it needing to downsize without incurring termination fees.
Devonshire added: ‘As a business, O2 is committed to helping its small business customers and making it easier for them to manage costs effectively and get from their mobile services exactly what they need.’
David Molian of Cranfield School of Management’s Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurial Performance & Economics commented: “There are three things in O2’s Small Business Confidence Index which really stand out for me. First, it suggests that the UK’s small businesses are increasingly viewing the glass as half-full, not half-empty. Compared with earlier surveys, fewer businesses believe they won’t make it through, and a good number actually see opportunities to grow. This is encouraging, because ultimately the health of our economy hinges on confidence.
Second, it’s clear that many businesses are now adjusting to the new reality. They’re focusing, quite rightly, on cash as number one and on improving the productivity of their workforce through, for example, smarter investment in converged IT and telephony.
Third, the survey highlights the lag between government initiatives and their effect in the market. There’s nothing unusual in this, but it underscores that government and the banking community need to broadcast to small businesses that there is money to lend, and to make it available fast.
We are not out of the woods by any means, but this survey provides encouragement and evidence, if it were needed, of the resilience of the small business population.”
O2 Rewards Innovative Mobile Application Partners
First members join O2’s Applications Centre of Excellence
O2 UK today announces three inaugural members have been accepted into its Applications Centre of Excellence, following the launch of the scheme last year. Corporate applications developers Asavie, Neverfail and Telmap will become the Centre’s first official members, marking a significant milestone for the programme.
The three partners will now collaborate exclusively with a specialist O2 team, who will support the development and marketing of innovative and bespoke mobile applications. The programme will aid the development of Asavie’s secure mobile access solution AccessMyLan, Neverfail’s business continuity solutions, and Telmap’s satellite navigation solution Telmap Navigator.
O2’s Centre of Excellence programmes have a proven track record for helping corporate customers further develop their services and drive sales. This model, a first for the corporate applications market, will enable Asavie, Neverfail and Telmap to continue their success in an increasingly competitive industry. Membership into the Applications Centre of Excellence allows partners to take advantage of O2’s experience in the corporate sector, and in-depth knowledge of the needs of its customers to help tailor applications for their market.
The solutions provided by the new inductees highlight the wide range of mobile applications that O2’s Applications Centre of Excellence encourages. Asavie will offer hosted secure remote-access services for operators and service providers; Neverfail will ensure seamless connectivity to applications and data for businesses; and Telmap will develop mobile mapping and navigational solutions.
Having achieved set targets and passed revenue and sales performance criteria, each of the new members will benefit from the programme across three key areas:
o Sales support – Dedicated O2 Sales Engagement Resource
o Marketing support – Share of O2 Centre of Excellence marketing funding, based on an agreed marketing plan and to be matched by the partner
o Technical support – Access to O2 devices and visibility of O2’s device roadmap as well access to enhanced technical support and lab testing
“The relationships we have with our partners are first-class and we believe that constant collaboration will help us all move forward in a challenging market. Asavie, Neverfail and Telmap have demonstrated a commitment to O2 and a shared belief in going the extra mile for our customers. They are highly valued partners who thoroughly deserve this recognition for exceptional work. We look forward to helping them achieve even greater success in the future,” said Ben Dowd, Business Sales Director, Telefonica O2 UK.
The Applications Centre of Excellence is a highly desirable accolade within O2’s wider Accelerator programme, reserved for the best performing applications partners. Starting as “Preferred” programme members, partners can be escalated to “Certified” members after working successfully with O2 over a period of time. Only partners who consistently perform at the highest level are then invited into the Applications Centre of Excellence.
The programme follows on from the success of O2’s Data Centre of Excellence, a proven model showing how clear objectives, defined by O2 and the partner, can increase sales and revenue for both parties. By adopting a customer-centric approach, the programme ensures that solutions are released into an appreciative market.
Ralph Shaw, CEO, Asavie, said of the announcement: „Membership of this prestigious programme is a significant endorsement of the success AccessMyLan has achieved to date, and will broaden the opportunities for on-demand business mobility services. We look forward to continued success with O2, which has proven to be a highly effective and responsive partner focused on delivering best in class solutions to its customers.”
Mark Lewis, VP Sales, Europe, Neverfail, said: “As a recognised leader in maintaining user productivity 24/7, we are delighted that Neverfail has been selected to be one of the first O2 Applications Centre of Excellence partners. Our relationship brings together a successful combination of O2’s deep understanding of the customer environment with Neverfail’s award-winning continuous availability solutions. This enables us to offer mutual customers the best technical solutions whilst still working with their trusted supplier.”
Oren Nissim, CEO, Telmap, said: “There is clearly high consumer demand for mobile mapping and navigation services, demonstrated by the volume of mobile phones released with an embedded GPS. We are very proud to be working with O2 and believe that, together, we can showcase our Navigator product and perfectly position it to take advantage of this growing market as well as enhance the customer experience.”
The Applications Centre of Excellence is part of O2’s UK business strategy to take a more IT-focused approach to corporate and SME sales. O2 also launched the Enterprise, M2M and Data Centres of Excellence in 2008 which have all been specifically tailored to the area of business they cover, and aim to bring together experts in these areas to offer customers an integrated end-to-end offering.
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Gsm Word !! 