724 Solutions and ZTE Corporation Announce Customer Support and Competency Center for the China Market
ZTE Engineers, first to graduate from advanced product training, ready to support China market
Santa Barbara, CA (July 23, 2003) - 724 Solutions (NASDAQ: SVNX; TSX: SVN), a leading provider of next-generation IP-based network, applications and data services, and ZTE Corporation, China's largest telecommunications manufacturer, today announced that a team of ZTE engineers have graduated from 724's WAP Gateway Competency Program, geared to educate and certify ZTE engineers on 724 Solutions' X-treme Mobility Gateway (XMG). The certified ZTE engineers are now prepared to provide implementation and joint development, as well as first- and second-line customer support for wireless operators in China and other international markets served by ZTE.
ZTE Corporation is China's largest listed telecommunications equipment manufacturer and specializes in providing customized network solutions for telecom carriers worldwide. The company develops and manufactures telecommunications equipment for fixed, mobile, data and optical networks, intelligent networks and next generation networks.
The ZTE Competency Center, located at the ZTE labs in Nanjing, China, specializes in WAP 2.0 Gateway technology and specifically 724's X-treme Mobility Gateway. The center features comprehensive local customer support for wireless mobile operators in Asian markets. In addition, dedicated joint development programs are synchronized with 724's global engineering team and enable a timely response to enhancements or other special requirements from operators. With ZTE's extensive lab infrastructure, engineers will perform development, testing, troubleshooting and XMG implementation.
"The certification program and competency center was a natural decision based on our long term relationship with ZTE," says John Sims, CEO, 724 Solutions. "We are extremely confident in ZTE's ability to provide local support functions in China. As an important part of the program, our engineers have worked closely with ZTE to incorporate specific customer and market requests for future versions of the XMG software. Our customers are vital to our success and together ZTE and 724 are providing the highest level of local customer support."
"Our ZTE certified engineers were selected to provide exclusive support to our XMG customers," says Ms Lijian, director, CDMA Research and Development Centre, ZTE. "These engineers participated in lengthy, intense, hands-on XMG training and are now certified for a complete range of customer support and development functions. The program will soon enter the next phase with ZTE-hosted educational seminars held specifically for wireless operators and partners in the China market. We are excited that our customers will be able to take advantage of the local expertise and educational opportunities offered by our newly certified XMG engineers."
Basic and Advanced Training
Training at the ZTE Competency Center is a continuous effort to improve upon its basic and advanced XMG training program for ZTE. The certified engineers have been recognized locally for successfully completing their training and for their extensive experience in the wireless market.
In March of 2003, 724 announced its OEM partnership with ZTE to integrate and sell the 724 XMG in China, Brazil, India and other international markets. This announcement further builds the long-term relationship between 724 and ZTE to enable advanced wireless data services and solidifies the joint commitment to the China market.
For more information about the local customer support program in China, visit the www.724.com website.
About 724 Solutions Inc.
724 Solutions (NASDAQ: SVNX; TSX: SVN) delivers reliable, scalable technology and solutions that allow mobile network operators to rapidly deploy flexible and open next generation IP-based network and data services. Additionally, in conjunction with mobile operator partners, the company provides a series of actionable alerting solutions to enterprises to assist them in lowering operating costs and improving customer relationship management. 724 Solutions is a global company with development operations in North America, Switzerland and Germany with headquarters in Toronto, Canada. For more information, visit www.724.com.
About ZTE Corporation
ZTE is committed to the telecommunications industry, and will continue to develop and expand its global operations to ensure that partners everywhere will have the most effective solutions. ZTE has 13 wholly owned R&D centers worldwide. Today, ZTE has become an important global player in the telecommunications industry with products deployed in over 40 countries and regions. For more information, visit www.zte.com.cn.
For more information, contact:
Avichai Levy, VP Marketing Mobixell Networks
Tel: +972 544 666 785
Avichai.levy@mobixell.com
Kirsten Scott and Kim Smith, éclat Marketing
Tel: +44 (0)1276 486000
mobixell@eclat.co.uk
