MMAS Designed for Multimedia Services on Mobile Phones

ASIA : NEC has started to offer its Multimedia Message Adaptation System (MMAS) for Japanese market. The Multimedia Content Adaptation Solution is a server software system that optimizes video, photo and other data for various types of services and terminals, and also is fully customized solution for each service operator.

Besides overcoming barriers and difficulties between different mobile telecommunications providers and different terminals, it facilitates the 2G to 3G transition, enabling free use of video, image, and music as well as voice and text data.

Multimedia content distribution, together with the Multimedia Messaging (MMS) service launched in 2002, are vital elements in the business strategies of European and Asian mobile operators, who are looking for ways to increase their average revenue per user (ARPU, i.e., per user sales). Multimedia services will, while stimulating new user demand, also trigger new mobile terminal sales. While, the prospects for expansion of multimedia services are good, the proliferation of services and introduction of new, higher-performance terminals have, in a growing number of cases, resulted in the inability and difficulties of different services and terminals to share multimedia content.

With the introduction of NEC's Multimedia Content Adaptation Solution, 2G terminal users can enjoy the use of a fuller range of 2G and 3G services without having to purchase new terminals. At the same time, 3G service users will be able to participate fully in 2G user communities.

From the mobile operator's perspective, packet transmission volume will increase and 2G users stimulated to upgrade to higher-added-value 3G services. In addition, it will facilitate exchanges between providers; for example, service providers in Japan will now be able to do business with other providers overseas.

NEC started to offer MMAS to outside Japan and this time, MMAS has been functionally enhanced to adapt to the variety of terminals in Japanese market.

The MMAS has rich profiling database of more than 500 varieties of terminals used in Japan. Thus, MMAS can be flexibly optimized in accordance with the market status. NEC has received an order for the fully customized MMAS from Vodafone K.K. Vodafone K.K is to employ NEC's MMAS for the newly enhanced "Automatic Image Conversion service (*)" scheduled to start from June 30th, 2005.
(*) The newly enhanced functions let Vodafone K.K. customers freely enjoy Sha-mail and other file-attached mails sent not only from mobile terminals of other operators but also from PCs without any mobile terminal type restrictions.

As the telecommunications world transitions from 2G to 3G, NEC looks forward to further fleshing out its mobile Internet application line-up and actively developing new mobile Internet platform businesses targeting mobile telecommunications providers aiming to increase profitability and improve customer satisfaction, by offering attractive mobile Internet services.