Nokia launches worldwide multi-media messaging service

HONG KONG – Today it is short messaging service (SMS), more popularly known as text messaging. And very soon, it will be multi-media messaging service or MMS.

Leading mobile phone company Nokia held last Monday its worldwide launch simultaneously in three key cities namely Hong Kong (for the Asia Pacific region); Barcelona, Spain (for the whole of Europe), and Australia for a new generation of mobile phones that will take consumers to the next stage – from SMS to MMS.

MMS will allow consumers to send and receive not only text and picture messages or graphics, but also capture and exchange digital images, audio and video clips and create their own content, among others.

And Nokia officials are confident that being the undisputed text capital of the world, Filipinos will definitely take on this new generation of services with open arms. In Manila, Nokia has just offered its 8310 mobile phone which is packet-data service (GPRS) cable and allows a better connection to the Internet compared to the wireless application protocol (WAP).

"Our technology is evolving but we make sure that our consumers grow with the technology and would be comfortable moving to the next stage," said Nigel Rundstrom, vice-president for strategic marketing of Nokia Mobile Phones in Asia Pacific.

It is projected that from 15 billion messages in December 2001, worldwide SMS traffic will increase to 100 billion messages a month by end of next year.

Nokia 7650 which is still in the testing phase but which will be commercially available in the second quarter of next year will be the company’s first imaging phone with MMS capability, marking the beginning of the multimedia messaging era. It has a built-in digital camera for image taking, storing and sending via MMS or email; a photo album application for storing images; an enhanced user interface; a large color display; and a set of advanced business features.

"This launch signifies a breakthrough in mobile communications. History has proven that advances in communication means having generated new communication cultures. The evolution from SMS to MMS can be compared to the transition from radio to TV. With MMS, we will see a new era of mobile messaging where people can be able to share their personal experiences in images, sound and text combined," Nokia chairman and CEO Jorma Ollila said in a simultaneous launch event in Barcelona.

For his part, Rundstrom said that imaging phones will shape and lead the next wave in mass market mobile communications.

Meanwhile, Nigel Litchfield, senior vice president for Nokia Mobile Phones in AsPac, noted that mobile phones will be transformed from mainly voice-driven into personal trusted devices. "Mobile phones will evolve into being the centerpiece of personal life management, enabling complete personally connectivity," he said.

Using the mobile phone, consumers can take pictures and send these by e-mail to someone else’s personal computer, send and receive messages, make phone calls, buy things, or make and pay for transactions.

He also noted that the runaway success of SMS in many Asian markets proves that messaging is a key driver in mobile telephony in this region. "We see that MMS will develop into a key mass market application in the migration towards 3G (third generation) of mobile communications technology," he added.

Also unveiled before Asia-Pacific media at a distinctive lifestyle and technology event were five other mobile phones and new Bluetooth accessories. The Colors of Live event was conceptualized to herald the advent of a new era in mobile communications, with packet-switch and multimedia imaging technologies enabling new and exciting ways to communicate.

One of these mobile phones is the Nokia 5210 which is designed with a combination of soft and hard materials for those with active and trendy lifestyles as well as a built-in stopwatch, a countdown timer, and interval timer for exercise cycles, and a thermometer to measure the temperature of the surroundings.

Another phone that made its debut is the Nokia 6510 with a stylish business look. It has a wallet application which enables users to make convenient and secure online transactions via the phone’s WAP browser. All these three were launched in Barcelona while in Hong Kong, three more products were specifically introduced for Asian consumers.

The Nokia 3350 comes in cool and trendy colors and has unique personalization features such as the picture editor which allows users to create and personalize picture messages. The Nokia 8855, meanwhile, is a premium yet feature-rich mobile phone that will appeal to business executives while the N6500, which has an active flip cover, is designed for executives who want both style and smart features combined in a sophisticated compact phone. N5510, meanwhile, heralds the era of mobile entertainment with its music and gaming capabilities.