At a sneak preview and soft launch held today for the media, journalists were given a first-hand experience with the hosted mobile music service as a prelude to the commercial launch scheduled next month.

The M-USE service can deliver a variety of true tones (ring tones playing the original music), polyphonic ring tones, Star MMS (artist pictures and music clips), mobile karaoke, video clip download, video clip streaming, as well as artist greetings and artist news. Unique to M-USE is an advanced personalization engine that recommends artists and tracks tailored to each consumer's individual music taste, allowing Maxis customers to easily find music that is right for them.

Operating on 2G (GPRS) as well as on 3G (WCDMA), the service is accessible via Maxis SMS, WAP and Internet portal. Ericsson takes the overall responsibility for the music service, including Digital Rights Management (DRM) and platform development.

"We are pleased that Ericsson is able to provide us with a solution that complements our effort to offer personalized services to our customers," said Edward Ying, Chief Operating Officer, Maxis. "With the unique personalization feature that M-USE provides, we are able to cater for the varying tastes and preferences of our large customer base. Ericsson is our key partner for 2G and 3G network infrastructure, and is today a sole supplier for our 3G radio access network. We are pleased that we also have their support toward offering easy-to-use, exciting, new services to our customers."

"We are proud that Maxis has selected Ericsson's M-USE service and we look forward to helping them deliver a unique and personal mobile music experience to their customers," said Kristian Tear, president of Ericsson South East Asia & country manager Ericsson Malaysia. "The convenience of use and content richness will fit perfectly with Maxis' goal to enrich their mobile lifestyle."

"We have a strong relationship with Maxis, having been appointed its first infrastructure partner for its 3G network," continued Kristian Tear. "Work is well underway with the installation, implementation, integration and commissioning of the network, and we are well on track with the deployment plans. Today's event adds a new dimension to our partnership, as we are now involved in supporting Maxis at the service layer as well. This is part of our long-term commitment toward supporting Maxis' goals, not just in network evolution and efficiency, but in revenue and business growth as well."

The hosted M-USE mobile music service is part of Ericsson's Managed Services offering. This offering makes it easier for operators to offer attractive content for their customers and bring the service to market quickly while controlling capital and operational costs.

M-USE uses the latest in Digital Rights Management (DRM) as well as an artificial intelligence engine which continuously monitors users' individual music tastes and then recommends complementary music for each user. It works independently of handsets, and subscribers do not need unique download devices or terminals beyond their handsets to enjoy the service.

Maxis is Malaysia's largest mobile service provider with more than 40 percent market share and a customer base of 5.12 million as of June 30, 2004.

 

Josephine Edwall, Ericsson Group Function Communications

Phone: +46 70 519 1698

E-mail: press.relations@ericsson.com

Ida Ruzaini Altahari, Ericsson Communications South East Asia 

Phone: +603 3 8314 6062

E-mail: ida.ruzaini.altahari@ericsson.com

Maxis is Malaysia's premier telecommunications company and a market leader with over 40% share, providing high quality voice and data services to more than 5 million customers. Its mobile postpaid and prepaid services are offered under the maxis and Hotlink brands respectively. The company has achieved its leading position through a clear strategy of developing premium brands, providing quality network and customer services, as well as introducing innovative services and products. In support of its mobile business, Maxis also operates an international gateway as well as a domestic fixed line network, which offers voice and data services to business customers. Its broadband infrastructure includes fibre optic, microwave and VSAT technologies.