Joint Web Development Agreement with Casio
Vodafone AirTouch PLC
1 February 2000
VODAFONE AIRTOUCH AND CASIO COMPUTERS TO BRING THE
WORLD WIDE WIRELESS WEB TO THE PALM OF YOUR HAND
Vodafone AirTouch Plc and Casio Computer Co., Ltd. have today
announced a world-wide agreement for the joint development of
mobile multimedia palm-top computers incorporating a wide range of
wireless internet content and services. Set to provide customers
with a lightweight handheld device offering full colour internet
access with audio and video capability, the agreement with Casio
forms part of Vodafone AirTouch's global platform for mobile data
and internet access.
'The Vodafone Casio handheld device will provide Vodafone AirTouch
customers around the world with easy access not only to our global
internet portal, but also direct access to the full range of
multimedia text, graphic, video and audio content provided by our
local and global partners over the web,' commented Chris Gent,
Chief Executive of Vodafone AirTouch, 'Our aim is to become the
world's leading mobile multimedia operator and our agreement with
Casio marks another significant step towards achieving this goal.'
Incorporating personal organiser facilities, a full colour touch
screen and an in-built camera, as well as stereo audio and video
capability, the mobile device will give customers access to a
range of additional services. These will include the sending and
receiving of picture or multimedia e-cards, the management of e-
mail, diary and contact information, the ability to hear audio
clips of match reports and the latest music releases and in the
near future, even view video clips of film previews and action
replays of sports highlights - the possibilities will be endless!
The size of a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), the palm-top
device will provide Vodafone AirTouch customers around the world
with a complete out-of-box solution for receiving complete
multimedia services wherever they are. Due to be available from
the autumn of this year, the first version of the palm-top device
will connect to a digital mobile handset which acts as a high
speed data wireless modem using GPRS GSM technology. Future
versions will incorporate mobile GPRS handset technology in to the
palm-top device as a one-piece, off-the-shelf handheld multimedia
access solution.
Providing customers with a rich variety of multimedia content and
services, icons pre-installed on the handheld mobile device will
enable simple click through access from the colour screen to view
content and services from Vodafone AirTouch's partners via its
global internet portal. In addition to offering WAP (Wireless
Application Protocol) access, customers will be able to use the
palm-top's colour display to access full internet content as they
would from their fixed PC, since the palm-top will translate
richly formatted web content to fit the quarter VGA colour screen.
The palm-top computer will also support other internet standards
such as Cookies and Java Script, making true mobile internet a
reality.
'Our strategic alliance with Vodafone AirTouch will enable us to
combine Casio's acknowledged world expertise in handheld computing
and mobile data with Vodafone AirTouch's global reach to offer
customers world-wide the ability to access true wireless
multimedia services,' commented Kazuo Kashio, President of Casio
Computer, Tokyo, Japan, 'In our partnership with Vodafone AirTouch
we aim to go beyond the traditional operator/manufacturer
relationship and work together to bring real benefits to customers
through end-to-end multimedia solutions.'
The device will support both existing and future technologies and
the first jointly developed palmtop devices will support GPRS
technology, connecting to GPRS GSM mobile handsets. Full 3G (3rd
Generation) services will also be supported when available.
For further information contact:
Terry Barwick Geoff Durrant
Director of Corporate Affairs National Sales Manager, DTI Division
Tim Brown At Casio Electronics Co.Ltd
Investor Relations Director Tel: +44 208 208 7838
Melissa Stimpson E-Mail: durrantg@casio.co.uk
Senior Investor Relations Manager
Mike Caldwell
Corporate Communications Director Shinobu KURAHASHI
at Vodafone AirTouch Assistant Manager
Tel: +44 (0)1635 33 251 Public Relations Division
E-Mail:press.office@vf.vodafone.co.uk At Casio Computer Co. Ltd
Tel: +81 3 5334 4830
Lulu Bridges / William Cooper E-Mail:kur06286@sumigw.su.casio.co.jp
Tavistock Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 207 600 2288
E-Mail: lbridges@tavistock.co.uk
or wcooper@tavistock.co.uk
Perry Hall
Financial Dynamics
Tel: +49 69 971 68123
E-Mail: perry.hall@fd.com
Words defined in the press release dated 18 January 2000 shall
have the same meaning in this announcement unless the context
requires otherwise.
This press release does not constitute an offer to exchange or
sell or an offer to exchange or buy any securities.
The contents of this announcement have been approved by Goldman
Sachs International and Warburg Dillon Read, the investment
banking division of UBS AG, solely for the purposes of Section 57
of the Financial Services Act 1986. Goldman Sachs International
and Warburg Dillon Read, each of which is regulated in the United
Kingdom by The Securities and Futures Authority Limited, are
acting for Vodafone AirTouch and for no one else in connection
with the new company to be created with Vivendi (the 'New
Company') and the Offer and will not be responsible to anyone
other than Vodafone AirTouch for providing the protections
afforded to customers of Goldman Sachs International or Warburg
Dillon Read or for giving advice in relation to the New Company
and the Offer.
The Offer in the United States is being made through a prospectus
which is part of an effective registration statement filed with
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mannesmann
Shareholders who are U.S. persons or are located in the United
States are advised to read the registration statement because it
contains important information relating to the Offer. You can
inspect and copy the registration statement relating to the Offer
and documents incorporated by reference therein at the public
reference facilities maintained by the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Room 1024,
Washington D.C. 20549. In addition, copies of the US Offer
Document are available from The Bank of New York, 101 Barclay
Street, Lobby Window, New York, NY 10286.
For additional information regarding risks, see the Registration
Statement on Form F-4 and other reports of Vodafone AirTouch Plc
on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of
these filings are available on request directed to Vodafone
AirTouch, Investor Relations, Tim Brown (tel: + 44 1635 682 373).
It is the responsibility of any person receiving a copy of this
announcement in any jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom,
Germany and the United States to satisfy themselves as to the full
observance of the laws and regulatory requirements of the relevant
jurisdiction, including the obtaining of any governmental or other
consent which may be required or observing any other formalities
needing to be observed in such jurisdiction. Receipt of this
announcement will not constitute an offer in those jurisdictions
in which it would be illegal to make such an offer and in such
circumstances it will be deemed to have been sent for information
purposes only.
Statements in this press release relating to future status or
circumstances, including statements regarding future performance,
costs, revenues, cash flows, earnings, divestments, growth and
other trend projections and the synergistic benefits of the merger
are forward-looking statements. These statements may generally,
but not always, be identified by the use of words such as
'anticipates', 'should', 'expects', 'estimates', 'believes', or
similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements
involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and
depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. There can
be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially
from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking
statements due to many factors, many of which are outside Vodafone
AirTouch's control, including steps that Mannesmann's management
may take to frustrate Vodafone AirTouch's efforts to obtain
managerial control of Mannesmann, increase the costs or reduce the
benefits of the transaction, the triggering of change of control
provisions in Mannesmann's licences or other agreements, the
ability to obtain regulatory approvals without onerous conditions,
the impact of labour disputes, the risk of negative impacts on
Vodafone AirTouch's credit ratings, the potential costs, including
tax costs, of divesting Orange and Mannesmann's industrial
businesses, limitations on Vodafone AirTouch's ability to control
Mannesmann due to voting restrictions and other provisions of
Mannesmann's charter and German law, general economic conditions,
competition, technical difficulties and the need for increased
capital expenditure (such as that resulting from increased demand
for usage, new business opportunities and deployment of new
technologies), the ability to realise benefits from entering into
partnerships for developing data and internet services, and the
inability of Vodafone AirTouch and Vivendi to agree the detailed
terms for the New Company.
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