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Hutchison 3G UK announces revolutionary new digital mapping for location-based services[September 18th 2002] Hutchison 3G UK Limited today announced agreements with five companies to deliver the digital mapping technology and the location-based services to be offered to consumers under the 3 brand later this year. As they develop, location-based services will enable 3 customers to pinpoint their position on a digital map delivered to the 3G handset, then follow directions to services such as hotels, restaurants, shops and businesses using a detailed real-time display. An agreement with Ordnance Survey will see Hutchison 3G incorporating Ordnance Survey's detailed and intelligent digital map data into its 3G services. Hutchison 3G has licensed a suite of products from Ordnance Survey, including OS MasterMap - Britain's definitive digital map database. This incomparable database identifies over 400 million features of the British landscape, providing a consistent, national framework for referencing geographic information. Tele Atlas will provide mapping data for the UK and Europe, supplying detailed street plans for over 30,000 cities from the largest seamless map of Europe in existence. Initially the Tele Atlas data will be deployed in the UK and later made available in other European countries where Hutchison Whampoa has 3G interests. whereonearth, Ionic and TCS (NASDAQ:TSYS) will deliver a technology platform that supports the location-based services. All three agreements will be initially deployed in the UK, before being made available in all countries where Hutchison Whampoa has 3G interests. whereonearth, leading a partnership with Telcontar, will supply location-based services software, data engineering tools and professional services. Ionic will deliver standards based software such as Web Feature Server (WFS), using GML and Web Map Server (WMS), as well as the Ionic Portrayal Engine and other professional services. TCS will provide location-based software and services, including its Xypoint® Location Platform which blends messaging and location applications. Colin Tucker, managing director of Hutchison 3G commented: “We are creating a service that knows where you are, what you want and how you want it - and puts it in the palm of your hand. Over time this will become an absolutely indispensable component of daily life for all of us.” He continued: “The scale and scope of technical integration taking place behind the scenes is unprecedented in the industry. We are delighted to be working with the leading providers in this area to develop these unique and exciting services for 3’s customers.” About Hutchison 3G UK Ltd 3G is a convergence of media, information and telephony which enables people to access information and entertainment services on the move. The 3G standard (agreed throughout Europe, Japan, China, and the rest of Asia) is formally known as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System). It represents a global standard for third generation communication systems and is at the heart of the Hutchison 3G initiative. Hutchison Whampoa Limited holds a 65 per cent stake in Hutchison 3G, the other major shareholders are NTT DoCoMo (20 per cent) KPN Mobile (15 per cent). Hutchison 3G will be called 3 when it begins offering services. 3 services will be available from sister companies in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Israel and Sweden. www.hutchison3g.com About Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey is Great Britain's national mapping agency. It is responsible for creating and updating the master map of the entire country, from which it produces and markets a wide range of digital map data and paper maps for business, leisure, educational and administrative use. It operates as a Trading Fund with an annual turnover of around £100 million. However, an independent survey has indicated that Ordnance Survey data already underpins around £100 billion of economic activity across both the public and private sectors. The agency is currently implementing an ambitious e-strategy to enhance still further its services to customers and help grow the business. Ordnance Survey and the OS Symbol are registered trademarks and the letters OS are a trademark of Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency of Great Britain. About Tele Atlas Tele Atlas is the world leader in digital mapping. Since its foundation in Benelux in 1985 it has been the main supplier of geographic databases with supreme quality street level coverage. Tele Atlas has the largest and most detailed digital maps of both Europe and North America - covering around 343 million inhabitants in Europe and giving complete digital map coverage of the United States, with 283 million inhabitants. The company is actively increasing coverage worldwide and is continually updating, refining and adding detail to its map databases. Via its Global Partner Programme, Tele Atlas enables partners on other continents to develop geographic databases using Tele Atlas’ technology. Expanding through Belgium, into all Western European countries and then beyond to Japan, India and the USA, the company achieved a successful IPO in May 2000 (Neuer Markt Frankfurt, ticker symbol TA6). Today, Tele Atlas has about 1.784 staff and a global presence. About whereonearth whereonearth is a leading provider of software, data engineering tools and professional services for location based services. The company was founded in 1995, is privately owned and Venture Capital backed. Based in Central London, whereonearth employs a large team of software and geospatial experts with a combined experience of over 400 man-years. Designed specifically for the wireless market, whereonearth’s Location Based Services Platform (L-Sphere) provides the high performance, rich functionality and scalability essential for the delivery of compelling services and applications. This technology, together with an in-depth knowledge of data issues and applications has lead whereonearth to be leading force in the location based services market. About IONIC Based in Liege, Belgium, Ionic is a provider of interoperable, enterprise-class products for the publishing, discovery, access, integration, and application of spatial data in support of core enterprise business functions. IONIC's mission is to leverage its extensive experience to create and deliver the best standards-based commercial off the shelf (SCOTS) distributed interoperable java component products. The IONIC Team has a worldwide reputation as the very best in the industry, with unique expertise in distributed systems and Java components for web mapping. About TCS / Telecommunication Systems, Inc. TeleCommunication Systems is a leading provider of software and solutions to wireless telecommunication carriers and to government customers requiring high reliability and security. The company's Network Applications segment is a global leader in wireless location-enhanced messaging, including E9-1-1 service to the largest US wireless carriers. The Solutions segment enables rapid deployment of fixed and transportable communications systems using wireless, satellite, and terrestrial networks. TCS is a technology provider to leading wireless carriers worldwide including Verizon Wireless, Vodafone, Cingular, Hutchison 3G and Telefonica as well as federal, state, local, and international government customers. TCS makes connections that matter. Whether connecting people with voice, data or video in a wireless world or connecting our customers and shareholders with long-term value, TCS delivers competitive, reliable and secure products, services and solutions to meet these needs. About Telcontar Telcontar is privately held and headquartered in San Jose, California with field offices in Los Angeles, Dallas and the United Kingdom. |
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