PACKETVIDEO PARTNERS WITH TELUS TO BRING CANADA'S FIRST OVER-THE-AIR, DRM-FREE MUSIC SERVICE TO MOBILE SUBSCRIBERS
SAN DIEGO and BARCELONA – Feb. 15, 2010 – – PacketVideo (PV) announced today at Mobile World Congress that it is partnering with TELUS to power Canada's first over-the-air, DRM-free music service for mobile subscribers.
Canadians now have the freedom to play back music purchased from the TELUS Music shop on any of their digital music capable devices. DRM-free music expands the TELUS music experience by enabling clients to transfer the music they buy from TELUS to their own electronic devices including cell phones, smartphones or PCs.
As part of this service upgrade, PV will continue to host and support the TELUS Music shop based on PV's MediaFusion™ platform. MediaFusion is a white-label server-client solution for rich media applications, supporting next generation purchase- and subscription-based business models.
PV and TELUS partnered initially in 2006 to enable users to sideload DRM-protected music tracks from a PC to mass market Java phones. The PC software and Java music client on the phone were both developed by PV based on its patented SDC DRM technology.
Current TELUS Music shop users can also enjoy the benefits of DRM-free music by easily upgrading eligible DRM music files they already have in their collections. The upgrade can be done through the TELUS media player or via any DRM-free capable handset for $0.30 per track.
"Our work with TELUS demonstrates the vast breadth of capabilities and business models PV is able to support through its MediaFusion rich media platform," said Jim Brailean, Ph.D., CEO of PacketVideo. "Working with PV, TELUS was able to quickly and seamlessly make the move to a DRM-free model. Our objective with MediaFusion is to enable operators to consistently evolve and adapt their services in order to meet the needs of the industry at large and their customers. We're excited to support the new DRM-free music offering alongside our partner."
TELUS Music shop offers more than 2.5 million chart topping and catalog favorite tracks and albums including today's most popular English and French artists. Music tracks are available for $0.69, $0.99, or $1.29. Full albums are also available for purchase.
"TELUS is the first carrier offering true freedom of choice to all music lovers in Canada," said David Neale, Chief Futurist and senior vice president, Strategic Content Services at TELUS. "The availability of DRM-free music from TELUS means our subscribers can now easily move their music between their devices for a simpler, seamless experience. The announcement demonstrates our ongoing commitment to making music available anytime, anywhere, and ensures a superior experience for TELUS customers. Our work in partnership with PV was integral in making this possible."
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About PV:
Founded in 1998, PacketVideo is the software pioneer powering the world’s leading multimedia services on millions of home and mobile devices. PacketVideo is a subsidiary of NextWave Wireless Inc. (NASDAQ: WAVE).
About TELUS:
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.6 billion of annual revenue and 11.9 million customer connections including 6.4 million wireless subscribers, 4.1 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers and more than 100,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video. In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed $158 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered more than 3 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Nine TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead TELUS' local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company ever to receive this prestigious international recognition. For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.
Note
Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains
“forward-looking statements” for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no
assurances that forward-looking statements will be achieved, and actual events
or results could differ materially from the events or results predicted or from
any other forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, PV, and should
not be considered as an indication of future events or results. Important
factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially are
described in filings of our parent company, NextWave Wireless Inc. (NASDAQ:
WAVE) with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All such documents are
available through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. PV makes no commitment to
revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect changes in
events or circumstances after the date any such statement is made, except as
may be required pursuant to applicable law.
For further information:
Ruder Finn
Jeff Seedman / Gabriella Asmus
(310) 882-4009 / (415) 348-2721
seedman@ruderfinn.com / asmusg@ruderfinn.com
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