3 shortlisted for Mobile messaging at GSM Awards

3’s Window’s Live Messenger service recognised at the “Oscars” of the mobile industry

23 January 2007 - 3 UK today announces that it has been shortlisted by the GSM Association for its Window’s Live Messenger service. The mobile media company has been recognised as a finalist in the Best Mobile Messaging Service category for the free mobile IM application that it launched in August 2006.

The GSM Awards are globally recognised as one of the most prestigious sources of independent verification for the mobile industry so to be shortlisted for an award is a true mark of excellence. The panel is made up of independent judges comprising leading industry and subject matter experts, analysts, journalists and academics.

3’s Window’s Live Messenger application is free to customers in the UK and the service is the first open access version of Windows Live Messenger on a mobile, allowing 3 customers to see the “presence” of their Messenger contacts and exchange messages from their phone. 3’s mobile broadband offering provides customers with an identical Windows Live Messenger experience to the one they are used to on their PC. Since launch there have been 350,000 downloads with an average of over 1.8 million messages sent or received every day.

Graeme Oxby, Marketing Director, 3UK, said: “The GSM Awards are recognised globally as the industry-wide as the Awards to win, so just to be shortlisted for our Messenger application is a great achievement. As the first operator to take the step of offering mobile IM for free to its customers, we are pleased to have received the stamp of approval by such a well-respected association. 3 is constantly striving to bring popular internet services to mobile users.”
About 3
3 is a mobile media company delivering a convergence of communications, entertainment and information to customers on the move.

The three areas which form the core of its business are:

* Communications – including all forms of personal communications, voice and video calling; text, picture and video messaging; and mobile blogging
* Entertainment – including television, music audio and video, computer games, and media publishing
* Information services – including wireless web, access to the best of the internet and a range of news services

The X-Series from 3 bridges all three areas.

3 UK is a member of the HWL group of 3G companies, which include 3G operations in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, and Sweden.

Three facts about 3:

* 3, a mobile media company, launched the UK’s first 3G network
* 3 has over 3.75 million customers in the UK and over 13.5 million worldwide (August 2006 figures)
* The 3 network offers national coverage for calls and texts, and over 89% population coverage for 3G services.

For further information, please visit: www.three.co.uk or call the 3 Media Office on 020 7350 5696.