NEC Corporation announced that it will accelerate its service platform solutions business for push-type content delivery to enhance mobile phone services. Italy’s WIND Telecomunicazioni S.p.A (WIND) has already adopted a NEC service platform solution for its new content delivery service.

WIND is one of Italy’s leading telecom operators, offering fixed, mobile and Internet services (approximately 15.2 million subscribers as of October 2007). The company introduced the “i-mode(TM)” service in 2003 after entering into a service agreement with NTT DoCoMo.

WIND’s new service, “SuperChannel”, will mirror NTT DoCoMo’s “i-channel(TM)” service in Japan by offering push content delivery of the latest information across mobile handsets, including news, financial updates, weather information, sports results, horoscopes, and event and cultural listings. It is the first i-channel service to be offered by an overseas i-mode operator.

The advantages of this service include the push delivery of up-to-date information at regular intervals throughout the day and the ability to enjoy contents without the need for complicated operations. Previously delivered information can be listed on screen by pushing the i-channel button on terminals equipped with the service. The service also minimizes load on the network by only updating information that has changed since the previous delivery. In addition to contents delivery at fixed intervals, WIND has also introduced an arrangement whereby contents can be delivered in conjunction with specific events, such as when a goal is scored in a soccer match.

This service was achieved through a service platform solution provided by NEC. The solution consisted of constructing an environment appropriate for the new service on the i-mode service platform “NEMIP” delivered by NEC to WIND in 2003.

The increased functionality of mobile phones and the evolution of mobile Internet services are expected to spur demand for this type of push contents delivery system as well as other diversified mobile services in Europe and other overseas markets. NEC will continue to provide service environments that meet the needs of telecom carriers and the market as a whole.

More information on NEMIP can be found at: http://www.nec.co.jp/english/products/vas/
i-mode and i-channel are trademarks or registered trademarks of NTT DoCoMo, Inc. in Japan and other countries.