Ericsson and Industry Leaders Form GPRS Applications Alliance

Strategic Insights -

Industry leaders Ericsson, IBM, Lotus, Oracle, Palm Computing, and Symbian have joined forces to create the GPRS Applications Alliance (GAA), a cross-industry initiative aimed at advancing applications based on the new mobile packet switching technology, GPRS. GPRS is a first step towards 3G mobile networks, enabling a range of new and enhanced services in a mobile environment. The GAA has already conducted evaluations on several applications and has established two application centers in the US and Sweden for end-to-end testing of GPRS applications.

Key Takeaways:

  • The GPRS Applications Alliance (GAA) is a cross-industry initiative that brings together Ericsson, IBM, Lotus, Oracle, Palm Computing, and Symbian to advance applications based on the new mobile packet switching technology, GPRS.
  • The GAA aims to provide a catalyst for the advancement of applications based on GPRS, which is a first step towards 3G mobile networks.
  • The GAA has already conducted evaluations on several applications and has established two application centers in the US and Sweden for end-to-end testing of GPRS applications.
  • Ericsson is leading the initiative and has established two application centers in Silicon Valley, California, US, and in 'Mobile Valley', Kista near Stockholm, Sweden.
  • The GAA provides a range of services, including training, product verification, consulting, and other information, making operators, consultants, and other relevant parties more competitive in the mobile data environment.
  • The alliance is open to any organization interested in mobile communications, including software developers, systems integrators, network operators, and other infrastructure vendors.

Statistics:

  • The GAA has established two application centers, one in Silicon Valley, California, US, and one in 'Mobile Valley', Kista near Stockholm, Sweden.
  • The alliance has conducted evaluations on several applications and includes major industry players such as Ericsson, IBM, Lotus, Oracle, Palm Computing, and Symbian.
  • The GAA aims to promote the development of open standards for applications and services, enabling mobile users to access a range of new and enhanced services in a mobile environment.

Sources:

  • Ericsson Corporation, "Ericsson and Industry Leaders Form GPRS Applications Alliance," October 15, 1999.
  • IBM, "IBM and Lotus Commit to Extending Applications and Services Beyond the PC."
  • Oracle Corporation, "Oracle Leads the Way with Innovative Applications for Mobile Sales and Field Service."
  • Palm Computing, "Palm Computing Joins GPRS Applications Alliance to Leverage Cross-Industry Wireless Standard."
  • Symbian, "Symbian Provides Licensees with Robust Yet Flexible Solution for Wireless Data Industry."