At the dealers’ convention in Barcelona, after the presentation of new convergent offers and devices, over 2.5 million innovative terminals were ordered, including “UNICO” the first fixed-mobile telephone in Europe which will be on the market from July
The first company in Europe to launch “UNICO”, Telecom Italia in Barcelona presented its new convergent offers for the summer, gathering orders for 2.5 million innovative terminals worth approximately 400 million euro.
“UNICO” is the fixed-mobile telephone, based on UMA technology, which functions as a multimedia cordless in the home, using the IP network, and as a GSM mobile phone outside. “UNICO” is one of the new convergent offers which integrate the most innovative technologies (voice, Internet and Mobile TV) and which Telecom Italia will offer beginning from June.
As well as “UNICO”, Telecom Italia will launch “TIM TV”, digital TV via mobile phones, with an offering of programmes that will initially include Canale 5, Italia 1, Retequattro, La7 and MTV, to which other content will be added in future.
Along with mobile TV and also beginning June, TIM will launch super-fast UMTS which, using HSDPA technology, will allow internet navigation and video, music and image downloads in quick time.
“UNICO”: Telecom Italia’s new fixed-mobile telephone
With 15 euro a month and an available ADSL line, “UNICO” permits calls from home to all fixed-line phones and TIM mobile phones without additional costs; outside the home, “UNICO” permits calls at 0 cost to two TIM number and one fixed-line number. In this way the customer is always assurde of the most convenient tariff, while maintaining separate TIM and Telecom Italia billing. With “UNICO”, further, it is possible to receive and send email to wherever you happen to be. The first model, which will be on the market in July, will be the Samsung SGH P200.
“TIM TV”: Telecom Italia launches digital TV on TIM mobile phones; from September the games of the football Serie A TIM championship and the Champions League
Beginning from June, the free promotion for the entire summer “TIM TV”, the mobile digital television in DVB-H technology, with initial programming including Canale 5, Italia 1, Retequattro, La7 and MTV, with additional content to follow. As well, from September, it will include the football games of the Serie A TIM football championship and the Champions League. “TIM TV” will be available for a convenient monthly subscription beginning form the autumn.
The first digital mobile TV handset will be the Samsung SGH P920, equipped with a SIM Card which receives and unscrambles the digital television signal, also runs the Umts network, has a moveable screen to better watch TV and includes advanced multimedia functions (1.3 megapixel camera, mp3 music player, recorder, video player and Bluetooth technology).
Initally, the DVB-H signal will cover the main Italian cities, including Milan, and Lombardy, Turin and Rome, and will reach 70-75% of the population by the end of 2006. As already announced, Telecom Italia expects to have at least one million customers for its DVB-H television services by 2008.
Super Umts: broadband reaches mobile phones with speeds up to 3 Megabits
Beginning this summer, Umts will become super-fast: travelling at 1.8 Megabit per second, with the new mobile phones it will be possible to “navigate” on the internet and download videos, images and music in very quick time. Replaying a sequence from a football match, for example, will take only a few seconds. Further, from TIM’s portal, it will be possibile to obtain the main contents of Rosso Alice (news, sport, music, cinema and reality TV) with a single “entry token” of 20 euro cents (incuding VAT). The Super Umts, based on HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology, will reach the main Italian cities and tourist destinations by the summer, with the aim of reaching 48% of the population by end year. By 2006, the network’s speed will increase further, climbing from 1.8 to 3 Megabit per second.
Milan, 30 May 2006