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Jackpot! NMS Communications and Comsys to deliver first interactive video game for Europe’s largest TV broadcaster RTL Group to make Picco Bello TV game show available to mobile phone users in Luxembourg GSMA Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, February 11th 2008 – The roulette table is spinning and you’ve placed your bet: orange. But instead of standing in a casino, you’re playing on your mobile phone while waiting for a train. This scenario will soon be common thanks to a strategic partnership between NMS Communications and Dutch mobile services provider Comsys. The Picco Bello mobile version of the game will become the first interactive mobile video game provided by Europe’s largest TV and radio broadcaster RTL Group. Interactive mobile video is a nascent technology that allows operators to increase revenues by offering mobile phone users the chance to play interactive video games on their mobile phones. The NMS/Comsys solution allows RTL to capitalize on the growing demand for interactive mobile applications by enabling callers in Luxembourg to play Picco Bello when and where they want. “Contestants” will only need to dial a number and choose the video call connection to play. If they choose the correct color the ball lands on three times in a row, they will be automatically entered to be an audience member at the wildly popular TV game show. “Picco Bello fans are zealous, so it was important that we give them the same look and feel of the show on their mobile phones,” said RTL Station Manager Tom Weber. “This solution makes participants feel like they’re in the TV studio, which will help drive usage and revenues with this next-generation service.” The flexibility and ease of use of NMS’s Open Access™ media boards and Video Access development tool kits, along with NMS’s technical expertise, enabled Comsys to complete the interactive video application in six months – about half the time it would have taken with competing development projects, according to Comsys Telecom & Media BV CEO Gerrit Jan Konijnenberg. “Time to market is critical for companies trying to differentiate themselves in competitive markets,” said Konijnenberg. “Video IVR is a new frontier, and RTL is further establishing its leadership by being one of the first to introduce this technology in Europe. Picco Bello’s success will blaze a trail for other applications to come.” Comsys will host the service, which does not require any software download and can be used on any 3G phone without configuration, enabling companies like RTL to take advantage of the latest IVR technology while ensuring they will have the capacity to meet increased demand. “Interactive gaming on demand will be a boon to mobile operators and content providers as subscribers demand more personalization, more options and more interaction,” said NMS Communications Platforms President Steve Gladstone. “Together, NMS and Comsys will provide the interactive mobile video technology that operators will depend on to take advantage of new revenue opportunities.” ---------------------------------------------------
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