TA Orange signs strategic collaboration agreement with SK Telecom for industry-leading development

TA Orange signs strategic collaboration agreement with SK Telecom for industry-leading development platform for non-voice services and marketing expertise TA Orange, Thailand’s leading wirefree? operator, today signed a strategic collaboration agreement with SK Telecom, the leading mobile telecommunications company in Korea. Under the strategic collaboration agreement, TA Orange will receive the right to use SK Telecom’s industry-leading wireless Internet infrastructure and platform, WAP portal and various applications. TA Orange will be able to bring new applications and concepts from SK Telecom and develop them for the Thai market. SK Telecom will provide TA Orange with implementation support and will share the marketing expertise it has gained while becoming one of the world’s most successful providers of advanced non-voice services. SK Telecom will also share its knowledge and experience in various aspects including product roadmap, content management, marketing techniques as well as applications and wireless devices for the Thai market. The license and infrastructure for WAP portal platform and related applications have a value of approximately 250 million baht. “SK Telecom has proven its capabilities to become a global leader and the world’s top innovator in non-voice services,” said Khun Supachai Chearavanont, CEO of TA Orange. “The company has launched customized marketing approaches that created major sensations and enjoyed tremendous market popularity among Koreans. SK Telecom is changing the way Koreans live with its non-voice services, and we aim to do the same for Thai consumers through our strategic collaboration with SK Telecom.” “Currently in Thailand, wireless Internet use is less than 10% and the penetration of wireless handsets is over 33%, which shows tremendous potential for wireless Internet service to grow like the model in Korea,” said SK Telecom CEO Kim Shin Bae. Khun Supachai explained how the strategic collaboration with SK Telecom will benefit TA Orange and Thai consumers. “We will leverage SK Telecom’s knowledge and experience so there is a shorter time to market for innovative non-voice services. We’ll gain more knowledge from their marketing expertise and technological depth allowing us to offer a greater choice of more and better applications for Thai consumers,” he said. “TA Orange is already ahead of our competitors in providing the best customer experience through Orange World – its easy to use, affordable and lots of fun. The SK Telecom strategic collaboration will move us ahead even faster by building on Orange World’s momentum while reducing our internal development costs,” added Khun Supachai. SK Telecom, as a leading wireless Internet operator, and TA Orange as its first GSM partner, is actively advancing into GSM markets by offering the NATE Platform and its service operation know-how based on the company's marketing experience, accumulated service growth, operational experience and technological expertise. SK Telecom is advancing into the global market together with Korean mobile handsets and system manufacturers, as well as with solution developers and content providers. Khun Supachai added that Thai consumers can expect to see the results of the strategic collaboration with SK Telecom in innovative applications that TA Orange will launch later this year. About SK Telecom: SK Telecom is the Republic of Korea's leading provider of information and telecommunications services with over 18 million subscribers. Its services span Mobile Services, M-Commerce and overseas operations. SK Telecom commercialized the world's first CDMA cellular service in 1996 and the first 3rd generation CDMA2000 1X service in 2002. Moreover, SK Telecom unveiled the first commercial CDMA 2000 1x EV-DO service in January 2002 and holds the license for a UMTS network in Korea. Recognizing the enormous potential of the wireless Internet as a new growth engine, SK Telecom continues to pursue the development and promotion of wireless Internet services. Based on the technological developments, SK Telecom launched "JUNE", the latest and the most technologically advanced multimedia service in 2002. This innovative service allows subscribers to enjoy streaming video content such as VOD, MOD, videophones, multimedia messaging and TV broadcasting using 3rd generation technologies. For details, please visit http://www.sktelecom.com. About TA Orange: TA Orange provides almost 2.3 million customers (as of the end of May 2004) throughout Thailand with innovative, high-quality wirefree? communications services on its nationwide 1800 MHz network under the Orange brand name. Orange, the world’s first global wirefree? brand with operation in 18 countries across Europe and beyond, aims to have a presence in markets covering 1.5 billion people worldwide by 2005. TA Orange’s vision is to create a pioneering, wirefree? future where people can communicate wherever, whenever, and however they wish. The company delivers the superior coverage, quality, value and service represented by the Orange brand and its values: straightforward, honest, dynamic, refreshing and friendly. Leveraging its relationships with True Corporation and CP Group, TA Orange offers unique, integrated products and services to the Thai market. Products and services: TA Orange offers quality communications services including Just Talk for pre-paid customers; Talk Plan with a range of calling plans from which to choose; Groupshare for small office and home office customers; a Corporate Solutions program for enterprise customers; and innovative services such as Thailand’s first fully functional Thai SMS and real per-second billing. For further information, please contact: Steve Vincent or Porntip Lertvechakul Sasithorn Khunudomsub Aziam Burson-Marsteller TA Orange +66 (0) 2252-9871 +66 (0) 2647-5424 End. --InfoQuest (NT)--

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