Scania joins GPRS Applications Alliance
Scania joins GPRS Applications Alliance Scania now joins the GPRS Applications Alliance (GAA) initiated by Er- icsson. This cross-industry initiative is intended to generate new appli- cations using the new GSM-based mobile packet-switching technology, GPRS. Transmission speed is up to 30 times higher than currently possible via the GSM network. The user is constantly online, but pays only for the data transferred. "GPRS is a big step in telecom development, transforming mobile Internet from vision into reality," says Peter Gillbrand, Managing Director of Scania Infotronics, Scania's IT development company. "The technology will be vital to our forthcoming product offer for the transport sector." The GAA, GPRS Applications Alliance (www.gprsworld.com), provides its partners with all the necessary services to be first to market and more competitive in the mobile Internet world. Established in June 1999 with an open invitation to the industry to participate, the alliance has already evaluated a number of applications in the two applications centres in Stockholm, Sweden and Menlo Park, California, as well as in other local centres worldwide. This is GPRS GPRS, General Packet Radio Service, is an on-line GSM service for end-to- end packet switching based on standardised open interfaces. The user can stay online at all times, but is only charged for the time data is trans- mitted. The high transmission speed - up to 30 times higher than current GSM data applications (9,600 bps) - enables complex transactions to be performed without network limitations. Being a GSM-based service, it will also be readily applicable wherever a GSM network is in operation world- wide. With this type of Internet connectivity, GPRS opens a whole world of new services. Low cost and fast access make an ideal base for the development of future mobile products. For further information, please contact: Peter Gillbrand, Managing Director Scania Infotronics AB, tel. +46 70 8225969, e-mail peter.gillbrand@infotronics.scania.com Patrik Svensson, Manager of GAA at Ericsson, tel. +46 70 9860699, e-mail patrik.svensson@era.ericsson.se Scania is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks and buses for heavy transport applica-tions, and of industrial and marine engines. With 25,800 employees and production facilities in Europe and Latin America, Scania is one of the most profitable companies in its sector. In 1999, turnover totalled SEK 47,100 million and income after financial items SEK 4,5 million. Scania products are marketed in about 100 countries worldwide and some 95 percent of Scania's vehicles are sold outside Sweden. ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/02/22/20000222BIT00180/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/02/22/20000222BIT00180/bit0002.pdf