[Vnbiz] Vietnam's First Multimedia Based Wireless Application Protocol Portal

[Phan, Tai]

WiderThan to Provide Operations & Management Services for Vietnam's First
           Multimedia Based Wireless Application Protocol Portal

    BARCELONA, Spain, 3GSM and HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Feb. 13
/PRNewswire/ -- WiderThan Co., Ltd., the global leader for delivering
integrated digital entertainment solutions to communications services
providers worldwide, and a subsidiary of RealNetworks Inc., (Nasdaq: RNWK),
announced today that it has been selected to operate and manage the Value
Added Service (VAS) portfolio of S-Telecom Vietnam.
    As part of the agreement, WiderThan will operate and manage S-Telecom's
entire VAS offerings through web, text-based wireless application protocol
(WAP), and EVDO platforms, which currently provide services such as ring
tones, ringback tones, music-on-demand, video-on-demand, games, graphics,
news, and many others. WiderThan will also support S-Telecom's new service
planning and quality management systems and will assist in implementing
advanced marketing and promotional programs.
    "Vietnam's telecom market is thriving and has great potential. The
mobile market has been especially dynamic and finding the right partner to
manage and introduce new services is paramount," said Mr. Ho Hong Son,
Managing Director at S-Telecom. "Key factors contributing to our decision
to choose WiderThan included marketing expertise, advanced mobile data
service operation and management experience and proven market success with
several leading carriers."
    "We see this opportunity as introduction of a new business model to the
mobile marketplace where a carrier customer is buying our expertise based
purely on advanced mobile services operation and management capabilities,"
said Jay Kim, Executive Vice President of Asia Pacific & Music Business
Group, WiderThan. "We expect this business model will generate recurring
revenue shares and play a key role for strategically growing the carrier's
VAS business especially in emerging markets such as Asia."
    According to GfK Asia, the No.4 market research organization worldwide,
Vietnam's mobile phone market is estimated at $1.1 trillion in 2007.
Operating in what the International Telecommunications Union rated as the
second fastest growing mobile market in Asia, S-Telecom is Vietnam's
leading and most advanced mobile phone network. This partnership
significantly expands WiderThan's business domain and leadership in the
global digital entertainment market.
    About S-Telecom
    S-Telecom works under License of Branch Operating Registration No.
03005683 CN 41 issued by Department of Planning and Investment of Ho Chi
Minh City. This is a cooperation project between Saigon Postel Corp. (SPT)
and SLD Co. (established in Singapore with founders being SK Telecom, LG
Electronics, and Dong Ah Elecomm) under the form of Business Cooperation
Contract to provide nationwide mobile telephony services, fixed-wireless
telephony services and other value added services using CDMA technology.
    S-Telecom, the first CDMA mobile phone service provider in Vietnam,
successfully launched commercial service in July 2003 and now is upgrading
the system to CDMA2000 1xEV-DO to meet the growing demand of customers.
With the purpose of bringing subscribers the best entertainment technology,
in 9th Oct. 2006, S-Fone has officially launched services of LiveTV, V.O.D
(Video On Demand), M.O.D (Music On Demand) and M.I. (Mobile Internet) based
on 3G technology EVDO 2000 1x. These services are considered the first in
Vietnam.
    Brand name of CDMA Mobile Phone Centre S-Telecom: S-Fone
    For more information, please visit at http://www.stelecom.com.vn