Phone.com Inc., formerly Unwired Planet, has been tied to several announcements in the weeks preceding its impending initial public offering that have served to elevate the company to new levels of recognition.
Most recently, Phone.com has been mentioned in conjunction with Sprint PCS and Nextel Communications Inc.
Sprint PCS licensed the UP.Link Server Suite from Phone.com to extend Internet information services to its customers. The company recently formed an agreement with Internet portal company Yahoo! for personalized information services and e-mail, called Sprint PCS My Yahoo!. The company said it will deploy the UP.Link software in conjunction with its nationwide wireless data services launch, expected in the fourth quarter.
Several Code Division Multiple Access phone manufacturers-which provide Sprint handsets-already have licensed Phone.com’s UP.Browser microbrowser needed to access the Internet services the UP.Link network server provides. In particular, Sprint has been testing the NeoPoint smart phone from Innovative Global Solution.
With the Sprint agreement, 24 network operators have licensed the UP.Link Server Suite and have started or announced commercial service, or are in trials to do so. These companies include: AT&T Wireless Services Inc., Bell Atlantic Mobile, Bell Mobility, DDI Corp., Deutsche Telekom Mobilenet, France Telecom Mobile, GTE Wireless, IDO Corp., LG TeleCom, Nextel, Omnitel Spa, Orange plc, SFT/Cegetel, Sprint PCS, Telecom Italia Mobile, Telenor and Telstra.
For its part, Nextel announced it pushed up the launch of its Internet-ready phone, the i1000plus, which uses the Phone.com UP.Browser microbrowser. The integrated Digital Enhanced Network phone, manufactured by Motorola Inc., originally was scheduled for introduction in July.
“This allows us more time to seed the market in anticipation of providing wireless Internet services later this year,” said Tom Kelly, Nextel’s chief marketing officer.
The phone will be used in conjunction with the company’s Nextel Online wireless Internet service, expected to be available later this year. Nextel Online services include e-mail, calendar functionality, an address book and access to Web-based and corporate intranet content. Nextel plans to roll out the service in Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and the Carolinas.
In addition to the Internet functions, the i1000plus includes a missed call indicator alert, last 10 numbers received or sent, a Quickstore function that instantly adds phone numbers to the phone’s directory and a Turbo Dial function for one-touch dialing. Nextel said the device will be available for $300, same as the current model.
L.M. Ericsson and Nokia Corp. said they will make phones equipped with their own microbrowsers that will be interoperable with Phone.com’s UP.Link Server Suite as well, such as the Nokia 7110 Media Phone.
The next announcement expected from Phone.com is the commencement of its IPO, expected as early as next week. The company intends to sell 4 million shares, hoping to gain between $10 and $12 a share. Another 600,000 shares will be made available as an option for underwriters.
