Nortel announces research tie-up with El Mundo

NEWS The two companies will set up an R&D facility near Barcelona with the goal of developing content and platforms for mobile operators in Spain and across Latin America. The move follows a similar deal earlier this month with UK e-tailer lastminute.com, and the aim is to strike further agreements to allow mobile operators and service providers to maximise their revenues through value added, content driven services. Commenting on the future of broadband, UMTS 3G mobile services, Jordi Casamitjana, VP managing director Nortel Spain, said: "For the success of UMTS, you need applications." In addition to the nascent El Mundo relationship, the Canadian communications equipment maker has been talking up its position as a company that understands data networking as well as the telecoms and wireless worlds. The company claims that having an end-to-end portfolio of equipment offerings, but no handset business, gives it an advantage over key rivals. Carney added: "It won't be the Nokias and Ericssons and Motorolas of the world who dominate the device market. It'll be the (mainly Asian) consumer electronic companies." Nortel, in line with a move from Nokia today, also announced several new products and a focus on location-based services. However, it has chosen to partner with Cambridge Positioning Systems to develop technology.