Telecom Italia jumps on Qualcomm platform

Fancy a BREW?

By Chris Williams • Get more from this author

Posted in Mobile, 13th November 2006 12:01 GMT

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Telecom Italia mobile operator TIM is set to launch a range of games and services based on Qualcomm's BREW platform.

BREW - Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless - is Qualcomm's way of delivering and running applications and services to phones.

Initially, only two handsets will support the services. The Samsung Z630 will be aimed at gaming fans, while the The Onda N5050 will offer a fancy UI and downloadable themes. Both are based on Qualcomm's MSM audio/video chipset, though BREW can run on other firms' hardware.

The BREW play from the operator side is that it makes it quicker and easier to access paid-for services, which is a keystone in their strategies in the age of increasingly accessible Wi-Fi.

The specification is tied to Qualcomm CDMA chips, so BREW has struggled in Europe where GSM has been more popular. Qualcomm recently inked a deal with O2 in the UK though, and reckons it will make further inroads in Europe in the next year.

QUALCOMM Internet Services spokeswoman Peggy Johnson said: "TIM's decision to launch BREW services in Italy underscores the momentum we are seeing for the BREW solution with European operators. We believe there will be an accelerated drive toward native games in Europe in 2007." ®

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