10Meters News Service

August 13, 2002 – Nokia is seeking to help developers "get the picture" via its new Mobile Internet Tookkit.

Designed to be an end-to-end solution for the development and deployment of interoperable Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) standard, the toolkit is part of Nokia's strategy to push the creation of mobile services that allow users of MMS-capable phones to send messages combining text, images, graphics and sound in a single "rich" message.

Nokia said it will support the launch of MMS person-to-person and commercial content delivery services with a suite of MMS infrastructure platforms and a line-up of MMS-enabled mobile devices.

Nokia's new Mobile Internet Toolkit – version 3.1 – features a PC-based testing and simulation environment that helps developers create, test and preview MMS messages. The toolkit can be downloaded at the Forum Nokia Web site.

The toolkit also includes the ability to edit or auto-generate Synchronized Multimedia Internet Language (SMIL) files. An SMIL file is the portion of an MMS message that contains instructions governing presentation of multimedia content.

In addition to a realistic, PC-based testing and simulation environment, which eliminates the need for a handset or access to carrier infrastructure, the toolkit comes with the Nokia Mobile Browser 3.0.1 simulator, which supports WAP 2.0 technologies including Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (xHTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).

"The merging of rich media and wireless devices is a vital component of Nokia's strategy for accelerating the transition to advanced wireless networks with compelling services," said Jouko Hayrynen, vice president, Forum Nokia. "Now, with the Mobile Internet Toolkit 3.1, we provide a fast-track to bring new MMS applications to the market and enable end-user migration from existing SMS-based services to more advanced services."

According to industry analysts Ovum Research, the combined annual revenues from content and message traffic associated with MMS-based services could exceed $14 billion worldwide by 2004. "MMS presents a huge opportunity for operators, developers and content providers," noted John Delaney, principal analyst at Ovum. "The challenge, especially for operators, will be to create the proper business model for realizing its potential."

Multiple Nokia handset simulators are available at the Forum Nokia website for download and use with the Nokia Mobile Internet Toolkit. The simulators are based on commercially available Nokia devices and enable the previewing of different browser- and messaging-based applications