VimpelCom and NeuStar Bring Mobile IM to Russia
LONDON, May 10 -- NeuStar, Inc. (NYSE:NSR) today announced that Russian mobile operator, VimpelCom, has selected NeuStar's Next Generation Messaging solution for its mobile instant messaging (IM) service. Under VimpelCom's popular Beeline(TM) brand, NeuStar's IMSC (IM Service Centre) and IM Clients will provide real-time, presence-enabled instant messaging to VimpelCom's 48 million subscribers in Russia.
The new Beeline IM service will further enhance VimpelCom's position as a leading innovative provider of mobile communications anytime, anywhere. By using the service, subscribers will experience the benefits of mobilised instant messaging, enabling them to manage their communications, through seeing personal availability information on their phone's contact list, to choose how and when to make contact with friends and family.
Supporting the GSMA's Personal IM initiative, VimpelCom will join leading operators worldwide who have committed to enabling subscribers to keep connected through presence-enabled mobile messaging.
"We are pleased to see that VimpelCom's customers will soon be able to enjoy Personal IM, which is based on the principles of security, reliability, interoperability and 'sending party pays' that have made text messaging such a success," said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer of the GSMA. "Russia has demonstrated a voracious appetite for mobile services and Personal IM should thrive in this competitive and innovative market."
"Our aim is to free up communications, and Beeline's mobile instant messaging service will enhance our service offering and provide an exciting advanced messaging choice for subscribers to share experiences in real-time." said Kent McNeley, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at VimpelCom. "We selected NeuStar because of its experience in delivering reliable, convenient and revenue-generating IM solutions. We wanted to work with a company who shares our vision to enable personalised, advanced communications that will make a difference in how people use their mobile phones. NeuStar has the capabilities to implement IM in working solutions."
"We are very pleased to be partnering with VimpelCom to bring a new next generation mobile communications service to subscribers in Russia," said Simon Brown, General Manager of NeuStar Next Generation Messaging. "NeuStar's IMSC and Clients are key revenue-generators and platforms for next generation person-to-person and person-to-computer services, such as live information, dating, and gaming. They are fully interoperable and ready for global IM and Presence interconnect, responding to the GSMA's initiative for ubiquitous IM services. They are helping to build a single, interconnected global IM community."
About NeuStar
NeuStar, Inc. (NYSE:NSR) is a leading provider of essential clearinghouse and directory services to the global communications and Internet industry. In November 2006, NeuStar created its Next Generation Messaging (NGM) Services by acquiring Followap Inc., a leading global provider of instant messaging, presence, and interconnect services.
Powering leading IMS networks such as Nortel and working in close partnership with handset manufacturers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), NeuStar's NGM Services enable subscribers to stay connected through real-time, presence-enabled next generation services. Today, 26 leading mobile operators including Vodafone Group, Turkcell, Hutchison 3, Wind, SFR, Swisscom and Mobinil are NeuStar customers, and have a combined user base of close to 300 million subscribers.
NeuStar, Inc. is headquartered in the United States, with subsidiary offices in Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit http://www.neustar.biz/ngm.
About VimpelCom Group
The VimpelCom Group includes cellular companies operating in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and recently acquired companies in Georgia and Armenia. The VimpelCom Group's cellular license portfolio covers a territory with a population of about 240 million. This includes 78 regions of Russia (136.5 million people, representing 94% of the Russia's population), and the entire territories of Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Armenia. VimpelCom was the first Russian company to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"). VimpelCom's ADSs are listed on the NYSE under the symbol "VIP".
Source: NeuStar, Inc.
CONTACT:Marc Abshire of NeuStar, +1-571-434-5151 or marc.abshire@neustar.biz
Web site: http://www.neustar.biz/ngm
