Stock Exchange & Press Releases 2005

Elektrobit is the first design house to offer complete Series 60 Reference Smartphones to Series 60 licensees on an ODE (Original Design and Engineering) basis with optional manufacturing services. The availability of these Reference Phones will change the environment for handset development by significantly reducing development costs and time-to-market. With this new family of Series 60 Reference Smartphones Elektrobit further strengthens its position as a leading design house among Smartphone development partners.

 

Elektrobit has taken a substantial step beyond offering traditional reference designs for Smartphones by building complete, pre-tested and pre-FTA certified form factor handsets. Based on the Series 60 Platform and Symbian OS, Elektrobit Reference Smartphones will offer high performance and low cost solutions for next generation phones. Elektrobit Reference Smartphones are fully integrated with Elektrobit life-cycle testing and production automation products, offering improved manufacturability and quality.

 

"With unique industrial designs and optional modifications to the mechanical design and the Series 60 Platform, mobile handset vendors can offer differentiated products based on the Elektrobit Reference Smartphones", states Mr. Juha Sipilä, CEO and President of Elektrobit Group Plc. "With the availability of these products Elektrobit sees a new market opening for Series 60 licensees."

 

Elektrobit's first Series 60 Reference Smartphone is a GPRS handset and is available now for product development. Based on Texas Instruments Incorporated's (TI's) OMAP™ platform,   Symbian 8.0a and Series 60 2nd Edition, the GPRS Reference Smartphone offers a compelling solution for the market in the 2nd half of 2005.

 

Additional Reference Smartphone designs are in development for EDGE and UMTS and will be offered later in 2005.

 

 

NOKIA QUOTE

Antti Vasara, Vice President, Mobile Software Sales and Marketing, Nokia says: "Elektrobit's Series 60 Reference Smartphones will offer licensees a compelling opportunity for outsourcing product programmes. As the Smartphone market continues to increase rapidly and the competition will intensify it is crucial that our licensees will have alternatives that will enable cost-efficient, time-to-market creation and rollout of Series 60 based Smartphones."

 

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS QUOTE

"Elektrobit is speeding up the growth of the Smartphone market by investing in the development of these Series 60 Reference Smartphones", says Richard Kerslake, OMAP Worldwide General Manager for Cellular Systems at Texas Instruments.  "By offering validated reference handsets based on TI OMAP technology, OEMs will be able to bring attractive Series 60 based Smartphones to market in 2005 and 2006."

 

SYMBIAN QUOTE

"Symbian is pleased that Elektrobit, a Symbian Independent Design House, has worked closely with TI, Nokia and Symbian to bring fast device creation and service deployment capability to the Symbian OS market," said Mike Whittingham, Director, Strategic Programs, Symbian.   "The IDH program has enabled Elektrobit to offer reduced time to market whilst allowing Symbian OS licensees to differentiate their products and help bring Symbian OS further into the mass market."

 

 

In Cannes, February 14, 2005

 

Elektrobit Group Plc.

Juha Sipilä

CEO

 

 

FURTHER INFORMATION:   

Vesa Kiviranta

Vice President, Sales and Marketing

Elektrobit Group Plc.

Tel. +358 40 344 2186

 

Edvard Krogius

Director, Investor & Marketing Communications

Elektrobit Group Plc.

Tel. +358 40 344 2787

 

DISTRIBUTION:  

Helsinki Exchanges

Main media offices

 

 

INVITATION TO PRESS CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION STAND

The Company will hold a press conference for media, customers, partners and investors on February 14, 2005 as follows:

 

At 1.00 pm - 1.50 pm (CET)

Media Center, Press Conference Room

3GSM World Congress, Cannes, France

 

Speakers at the press conference:

          Mr. Juha Sipilä, CEO and President, Elektrobit Group Plc.,

          Mr. Vesa Kiviranta, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Elektrobit Group,

          Mr. Mauri Metsäranta, Director, Software Platform Marketing, Nokia,

          Mr. Mike Whittingham, Director, Semiconductor Partner Program, Symbian 

          Mr. Christian Dupont, Director, European Wireless Terminal Business Unit, Texas Instruments

 

The press conference presentation can be down loaded at 1.00 pm. (CET) on:

http://www.elektrobit.com/file.php?450

 

Please visit Elektrobit during the conference for further information and contacts on:

Hall 2

Stand D1

 

Elektrobit specializes in the design and production of wireless technologies, life-cycle testing of electronic products, and production automation. The Elektrobit Group is a versatile engineering company, which, in addition to its design services, develops, sells and markets its own technologies and products to customers. The company's customers include the telecommunications industry, automotive industry, defense and space industry, industrial automation industry, and the well-being and medical industry. Elektrobit employs some 1500 wireless technology experts in 14 countries. The Group's net sales for the year 2003 totaled 149 million euro. Elektrobit Group Plc. is listed on the Helsinki Exchanges. www.elektrobit.com

 

The Series 60 Platform, built on the Symbian OS, is currently the leading Smartphone platform in the world. It is licensed by some of the foremost mobile phone manufacturers in the world including LG Electronics, Lenovo, Nokia, Panasonic, Samsung, Sendo and Siemens. The flexibility of the Series 60 Platform allows for various hardware designs and software configurations. This is demonstrated through the multitude of Series 60 based phones available already on the market. Through its award winning user interface, extensive support for new mobile services and the endless innovation potential for partner solutions, the Series 60 Platform provides an open and scalable business opportunity to mobile operators and 3rd party developers. More information on Series 60 is available at www.series60.com .