BARCELONA, Spain, February 12 /PRNewswire/ --

- IPX to Provide Secure and Reliable Next Generation Services

Following successful trials run by the GSM Association (GSMA),
international carriers are preparing to rollout the first commercial IPX(1)
services. When IPX is fully established, it will enable mobile operators and
other service providers to exchange Internet Protocol-based traffic,
including both person-to-person communications and content, securely and with
a guaranteed quality of service.

Open to any company willing to adopt the necessary technical and
commercial principles, the IPX is a private global IP backbone designed
specifically to provide guaranteed levels of quality of service and security.

"The open Internet is a wonderful thing, but when it comes to providing a
guaranteed quality of service, particularly for time-critical services, there
is still a long way to go," said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer of
the GSMA, the global trade association for the mobile industry. "By contrast,
IPX should guarantee reliable and secure carriage of traffic between networks
because each party involved in transmitting the data offers a pre-defined
service-level agreement."

In the IPX network, a high level of quality will be maintained because
each party in the transmission chain will have a consistent and enforceable
contract, which will make them responsible for the performance and the
service they provide. IPX networks have been designed to ensure a high level
of security and to provide protection from spam and interference by remaining
separate from the Internet and providing full traceability.

The GSMA completed the IPX specifications in 2006 and the first phase of
trials of packet voice services over IPX-enabled networks ran from April 2007
to the end of that year. The trials demonstrated that IPX networks can
deliver high-quality, low latency and secure services. Further trials will be
completed in the second quarter of 2008.

The development of the IPX enjoys broad support from the industry. Fixed
operators, mobile operators and carriers participating in existing or planned
trials include Belgacom ICS, BT, Cable&Wireless, DTAC, Elisa, France
Telecom/Orange, iBasis, Mobilkom, Proximus, T-Com, T-Mobile, Telecom Italia,
Telecom Italia Sparkle, Telefonica/O2, Telefonica IWS, Telekom Austria,
Telenor, Telenor Global Services, TeliaSonera, TeliaSonera International
Carrier, Telus, Telecom New Zealand, Telecom New Zealand InternationalI,
Vipnet, Vodafone and Teleglobe/VSNL.

About the GSMA:

The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing
more than 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries and territories
of the world. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and suppliers support
the Association's initiatives as key partners.

The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless
services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to
individual customers and national economies, while creating new business
opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The Association's members
serve more than 2.5 billion customers - 85% of the world's mobile phone
users.

(1) IP eXchange