Mobile Operators Plan to Make Instant Messaging, Live Video Sharing, and File Transfer as Easy on the Mobile as Calling and Text

BARCELONA, Spain, February 15, 2011 - The GSMA is welcoming a new version of Rich Communication Suite (RCS)
that will enable mobile phone customers to use instant messaging (IM), live
video sharing and file transfer across any device on any network operator.
Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telecom Italia, Telefonica and Vodafone intend to
commercially launch RCS across several European markets from late 2011, and
additional operators are expected to launch later in 2012.

Once adopted, Rich Communication Suite - e* (RCS-e) will enable customers
to use these enhanced communication services across mobile networks in a
simpler and more intuitive way. It is based on a specification put forward by
Bharti, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Orascom Telecom, SK Telecom, Telecom
Italia, Telefonica, Telenor and Vodafone which aims to lower the hurdle and
speed up the market introduction and adoption of these services.

With RCS-e, customers will be able to use IM, share live video and share
files such as photos simultaneously during calls, regardless of the network
or device used. RCS-e will enable users to communicate in a very natural way,
much like with GSM voice and text today, and will also offer the simplicity
and security customers expect from mobile operator services.

As customers open their address book, they will be able to see which
communication services are available to them. They can then choose their
preferred communications option. For example, a customer would see if their
contact is in an area with 3G coverage and is able to receive video.

The participating operators will work with handset suppliers to ensure
the service is integrated into the address books of devices, so that
customers will not have to download any additional software or technically
configure their handsets in order to benefit from the enhanced experience.

"Mobile operators are committed to giving their customers greater choice
in the way they communicate with one and other," said Rob Conway, CEO and
Member of the Board of the GSMA. "We welcome the pragmatic approach taken by
these operators to accelerate the commercialisation of RCS and simplify the
experience for mobile customers and we will work to adopt this specification
within the RCS initiative."

The RCS specification is designed to be interoperable between all
operators and devices, giving customers greater choice in how they
communicate. The new RCS-e is the result of extensive trials and is a subset
of the current RCS 2.0 standard with enhancements. It is focused on extending
the principles of voice and SMS calls to deliver an advanced set of
interoperable data-centric communications services.

Available to all operators through the means of the GSMA, the RCS-e
specification is available at www.gsmworld.com/rcs. In addition,
visitors to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from February 14 to 17
will be able to see live demonstrations of the specification implemented on
devices at the RCS exhibit in the App Garage, Stand 7APG, Hall 7.

* RCS-e is a new enhanced version of the RCS specification which is based
on the use across networks of IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) technology, an
architectural framework for delivering Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia
services.

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 Press Office, press at gsm.org