GSMA Announces Winners of Embedded Mobile Module Competition

HONG KONG, November 18 - The GSMA, which represents the interests of the worldwide communications
industry, today announced the winners of the first phase of its Embedded
Mobile competition, which was created as part of the GSMA's Embedded Mobile
Initiative. The first phase of the competition aimed to identify
best-in-class embedded modules for both 3G and 2G applications that are
commercially available or will be in the near future. The winners were
announced by Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board for the GSMA, during his
keynote speech at the Mobile Asia Congress, which is taking place in Hong
Kong this week.

    The winners of the GSMA's Embedded Mobile Module competition are:

    Best Embedded Module in the High-Bandwidth Application Category
    - Option, Belgium, for GTM501

    Best Embedded Module in the Low-Bandwidth Application Category
    - Cinterion Wireless Modules, Germany, for 2G M2M Evolution
    - SIMCom Wireless Solutions, China, for 3G SIM5215

"We created this competition with the goal of increasing volumes of
connected devices by encouraging innovation within the embedded mobile
market, and to drive economies of scale to help make mobile modules more
cost-effective," said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer at the GSMA.
"As interest in embedded mobile devices and services continues to increase,
dismantling existing barriers to market growth and reducing industry
fragmentation in the delivery of embedded mobile solutions will benefit
mobile operators and manufacturers alike."

A panel of nine judges from mobile operators including AT&T, KT, Orange,
SMART, Softbank, Telecom Italia, Telefonica O2, Telstra and Vodafone, rated
17 entries on criteria such as time to market, ease of deployment, short and
long-term market prospects, price competitiveness and each company's
strategic commitment to partnering with mobile operators and developing a
strong ecosystem.

"Given the prolific growth of Mobile Broadband globally, operators
require 3G-based modules designed for new, innovative and feature-rich
applications and it's crucial that we focus on driving this market forward.
We wanted to encourage innovative design and advanced functionality to
support applications in consumer electronics, automotive and many other
vertical sectors and found both in Option's GTM501 module," said the judging
panel. "At the same time, 2G will continue to play an important role, and we
are recognising both of Cinterion's 2G M2M Evolution and SIMCom's 3G SIM5215
modules in the low-bandwidth category for their affordable solutions, which
offered a good choice of features. Both companies have a strong track record
in certification and customer care. All three winners showed commitment to
partnering with mobile operators and share the vision of the future growth of
the embedded mobile market. We wish them every success for the future."

The manufacturers that submitted modules for the final of the competition
represented more than 50 per cent of the M2M market based on module shipment
volumes. The solutions submitted included both general purpose modules as
well as modules for specific verticals, such as automotive and consumer
electronics. The judges were looking for the most innovative functionality as
well as the potential for large-scale deployments at an affordable cost. The
three winning modules will be exhibited in the Embedded Mobile Zone at the
GSMA's Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona in February 2010.

The second phase of the Embedded Mobile competition will showcase
innovative service applications and solutions and the winners will be
announced and exhibited at next year's Mobile World Congress. For more
information please visit:
www.gsmworld.com/our-work/mobile_broadband/embedded_mobile.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications
industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's
mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile
ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers,
Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is
focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its
membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile
communications industry.

For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the new online
portal for the mobile communications industry, at
www.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at
www.gsmworld.com.

GSMA: Richard Fogg: +44-7887-845-236; Daniel Lowther: +44-7747-636-687;press at gsm.org