PACKETVIDEO MUSIC DELIVERY AND DRM SOFTWARE POWERS SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE LAUNCHED BY VODAFONE IN INDIA
‘All-You-Can-Eat’ Monthly Subscriptions Added to Current Pay-Per-Download Service; Both Supported by PV Software
BARCELONA, SPAIN AND SAN DIEGO (February 17, 2009)—PacketVideo (PV), a leader in multimedia software solutions for mobile operators, is powering the upgraded mobile music service launched this week by Vodafone Essar in India that features a monthly subscription option.
PV’s solution for Vodafone Essar in India is based on its digital rights management (DRM) technology, SDC DRM, that also supports purchase and rental of protected music content, including the ability for users to share 30 second previews with their Vodafone friends with compatible devices. Those who want to hear the full song will then be directed to purchase the track or initiate a monthly subscription. At a monthly subscription of Rs 99 subscribers can download unlimited songs from a catalogue of 1000s.
The new subscription provides “all-you-can-eat” access to the full catalog of the mobile music shop for one monthly fee. The service will be available on 79 devices for Vodafone Essar in India at launch with more to follow, and will be available throughout India.
PV has been supporting Vodafone India’s music services since May 2006.
Vodafone Essar’s Service Among World’s Top Multimedia Services Powered by PV
PV’s SDC DRM is part of PV’s multimedia client framework, now deployed on more than 260 million phones worldwide. PV clients are customized for each mobile operator’s unique service offering and available on hundreds of different handsets, including both native and Java-based handsets. In this case, it supports Vodafone’s monthly subscription service with persisting content, meaning that if the license to content is renewed after it expires, the end-user doesn’t have to download the music again.
“Vodafone Essar’s premium music service takes full advantage of the PV solution by giving their subscribers flexibility in the way they obtain and manage music,” said PV CEO James C. Brailean, Ph.D. “More choices in music means broader appeal to Vodafone India’s large subscriber base.”
“The PV solution provides our customers affordable access to thousands of songs across genres via purchase and rental. This application will have a strong appeal in our music loving, multi-cultural society,” said Harit Nagpal, Director - Marketing and New Business for Vodafone Essar.
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About PV: PV, a subsidiary of NextWave Wireless Inc. (NASDAQ: WAVE), is the software innovator powering the world’s leading mobile multimedia services. With more than 320 different devices supported and 260+ million PV multimedia clients deployed around the world, PV has the deepest, broadest and most respected multimedia software expertise in the industry. Founded in 1998, PV is headquartered in San Diego, California with regional offices in the U.S., Japan, Europe and India.
About Vodafone Essar: Vodafone Essar in India is a subsidiary of Vodafone Group Plc and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular license for Mumbai. Vodafone Essar now has operations in 22 circles with over 60.93 million customers*. Vodafone is the world’s leading international mobile communications company. It currently has equity interests in 27 countries across five continents and 40 partner networks with over 289 million proportionate customers worldwide. Vodafone has partnered with the Essar Group as its principal joint venture partner for the Indian market. Essar Global Limited (EGL) is a diversified business group spanning the manufacturing and services sectors of Steel, Energy, Power, Communications, Shipping & Logistics, and Projects. The group has operations and investments in India, Canada, USA, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and South East Asia and employs 30,000 people worldwide.
*Figures from Cellular Operators Association of India, December 31, 2008
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 and NextWave Wireless Inc. make 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:
PacketVideo Media Contacts:
Kate Garsson
Ruder Finn
+1 310 882 4010
garssonk@ruderfinn.com
Neil Sharma
PacketVideo
+1 770 751 5799
sharma@pv.com
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