KDDI Selects Openwave Mercury Browser to Power Its EZweb Mobile Services

Openwave Systems announced that Openwave Mobile Browser Mercury Edition has been chosen by Japanese mobile operator KDDI to power its EZweb services.

KDDI plans to implement the same platform and software in all its mobile devices in order to improve development efficiency while reducing development times and cost. As a key component of this strategy, KDDI has selected Openwave's Mercury Edition to be the browser running on the common platform to be used in its next-generation mobile phones.

"In the process of exploring the possibilities of the common platform we want to build for all our new mobile phones going forward, we decided on Mercury Edition as the browser that would be the best for allowing us to deliver new services," said Seiichiro Sakai, Ph.D, General Manager, Product Strategy & Development Dept., "au" Service & Product Planning Div. of KDDI. "With Mercury Edition positioned as a core application of our EZweb service, we look forward to working with Openwave as we work to provide our customers with even more advanced services going forward."

"The Mercury Edition browser can be deeply integrated with KDDI's EZweb services and helps provide an architecture that will allow KDDI to continue evolving new revenue-generating services," said Yosuke Morioka, General Manager of Nihon Openwave Systems. "We are pleased that KDDI has chosen Openwave's high-speed browser as an application for its common mobile-phone platform, thus enabling its customers to enjoy a dynamic and compelling mobile browsing experience."

Openwave Mobile Browser Mercury Edition features improved browser functionality and interoperability, speeding up load and display times of mobile Internet content. A benchmark test conducted by Openwave in March 2006 revealed that Mercury Edition displayed content 25% faster than its nearest competitor.

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