IBM and WAC To Streamline Creation of Mobile Application Stores

WAC Members To Quickly Build Cloud-based Stores and Sell Popular Apps

BARCELONA, Spain, February 14, 2011 - MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS — IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the Wholesale Applications
Community (WAC), a global alliance of telecommunications companies committed
to simplifying application development, today announced the availability of a
new cloud-based "white label" mobile app store. The store is designed to help
mobile operators quickly build their own online application stores and offer
subscribers innovative new applications and widgets for consumer and business
use.

(Logo: photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )

Massive adoption of smart devices have driven an increase in the number
of applications downloaded to mobile devices as new apps and widgets become
increasingly ubiquitous in every aspect of personal and business lives. As
demand for these applications grows, mobile operators need the flexibility to
quickly set up mobile application stores and offer subscribers a diverse
selection of innovative new applications to remain competitive.

IBM and WAC are working together to help communications service providers
and developers address this global market and quickly commercialize countless
applications using a customizable device client and mobile app store that is
pre-integrated with WAC's wholesale application warehouse. The app store and
client offering give subscribers the ability to easily browse, shop, download
and install and rate WAC widgets and native applications.

The app store is built on IBM WebSphere Commerce software. Over the 15
years IBM has been in the e-commerce space, WebSphere Commerce has been the
choice of thousands of retailers worldwide. This gives WAC members the
ability to enhance customers' shopping experience by promoting applications
and automatically providing discounts based on customer preferences and
buying behaviors. The storefront can also provide targeted marketing
campaigns to tailor the shopping experience.

For subscribers, the application store also makes the process of
downloading and paying for applications as seamless as possible.
Automatically populated with WAC's catalog of more than 12,000 applications,
the new store front is available to WAC members via a cloud-based service so
they can rapidly begin offering and selling new applications.

"The intersection of cloud computing, IBM's expertise in building rich
portals with integrated commerce, merchandising and promotions, combined with
WAC's extensive set of global applications creates a tremendous opportunity
for mobile operators to expand and grow their business," said Scott Stainken,
general manager, IBM global telecommunications industry.

In addition, the client for the app store integrates with the Opera WAC
Runtime that fully implements WAC 1.0 specifications. Not only does the Opera
WAC Runtime allow a full end-to-end solution for WAC members, it also
provides developers with a powerful tool to create, test and execute their
applications.

For service providers, participation in WAC offers an open industry
platform that benefits the entire ecosystem and will speed up the development
of applications so that operators, developers and customers can benefit. For
application developers challenged by diverse programming models, run-time
environments, device and network APIs and custom application provisioning and
update models, the Wholesale Applications Community simplifies application
development by giving developers the opportunity to write applications that
can be deployed across multiple platforms. It helps service providers address
a potential global market of more than three billion users.

"The cloud-based, white label application storefront developed by IBM
will be invaluable to those operators who wish to quickly and effectively
launch their own WAC-enabled storefront," said Peters Suh, CEO, WAC. "We're
delighted to have IBM as a member of the Wholesale Applications Community and
are looking forward to the continued level of innovation that they will
bring."

IBM Global Business Services will offer integration and customization
services, for the App Store, to WAC members worldwide which can be hosted
on-site or via Cloud infrastructure hosted IBM.

The IBM App Store integrated with the WAC wholesale warehouse for mobile
operators will be on display during Mobile World Congress in the WAC stand
#7C82.

Visit IBM at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain, February 14-17,
2011: Hall 1 Stand 1C31.

About IBM

For more information on IBM's communications industry solutions, visit
www.ibm.com/telecom.

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    Contact:
    Holli Haswell
    IBM Media Relations
    +1-720-396-5485
    hhaswell@us.ibm.com

Holli Haswell, IBM Media Relations, +1-720-396-5485, hhaswell at us.ibm.com