Dr Rotan Hanrahan Chairs W3C Workshop on Mobile Device Description Repository

Dublin, Ireland, 12 July 2006 - MobileAware, the world’s leading provider of Mobile Service Infrastructure and founding sponsor of the Mobile Web Initiative (MWI), is today announcing further efforts at lowering the barriers to the mobile Web. Dr Rotan Hanrahan, Chairperson of MWI’s Device Description Working Group (DDWG) and MobileAware’s Chief Innovations Architect, is chairing an international World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Workshop on the implementation of a common device description repository. The event, which takes place from 12 – 13 July in Madrid, brings together leading device manufacturers, mobile operators and mobile software vendors, including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Telefonica and Vodafone, to discuss the design, implementation and intended use of a standards-based mobile device repository. The proposed repository will provide device information to content and service providers for adapting content to suit mobile devices and will greatly add to the widespread uptake of the mobile Web.

Formed in May 2005, the MWI aims to make Web access from a mobile device as simple and convenient as access from a personal computer. It is envisaged that this will typically require adaptation of Web content, which in turn relies on an understanding of the different characteristics, features, behaviours and limitations of mobile handsets. In the absence of a standard source of device descriptions, the DDWG was formed to provide access to device descriptions that can be used in support of Web-enabled applications, to provide an appropriate user experience on mobile devices. The DDWG has already produced a set of technical requirements for a device description repository. The Madrid workshop will bring the first charter of the DDWG to a conclusion by examining the most appropriate design and implementation strategies to make a common device repository a reality.

"The quality of the end-user experience on mobile devices can be improved by adapting to the delivery context, with emphasis on the diverse characteristics of such devices," explained Rotan Hanrahan, Chief Innovations Architect at MobileAware. "Making this information ubiquitously and freely available to adaptation processes will be a significant milestone in the evolution of the Web. MobileAware has played a leading role in determining the strategic direction of the mobile Web for many years and we are pleased to have helped W3C reach this milestone.”

Further details on the Workshop are available here.

About W3C
The W3C was created to lead the Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability. It is an international industry consortium, jointly run by the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) in the USA, the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) headquartered in France and Keio University in Japan. Services provided by the Consortium include: a repository of information about the World Wide Web for developers and users, and various prototype and sample applications to demonstrate use of new technology. To date, nearly 400 organisations are of the Consortium. http://www.w3.org/

About MobileAware
MobileAware is a leading provider of mobile business solutions. The company's software products enable organizations to leverage existing software infrastructure, developer tools and skills to extend Web content and business applications to any mobile device. MobileAware customers include mobile carriers seeking to create and deliver compelling mobile services to increase wireless data traffic; media and entertainment companies seeking to extend their brand and develop new revenue streams by delivering existing web-based content to their mobile customers; and cross-vertical enterprises seeking to extend real-time business information to their mobile workforce. MobileAware is a privately held company and is on the Web at www.mobileaware.com

For further information contact:

Niamh Murphy
MobileAware Ltd.
Tel: +353 1241 0536
niamh.murphy@mobileaware.com