T-Mobile confirms its lead in mobile data

  • t-zones reaches 5.5 million users worldwide
  • T-Mobile CZ: 21% Non-Voice ARPU
  • Downloads: 25 million downloaded motifs; mobile music key revenue driver
  • 22 billion SMS sent in T-Mobile global territories

Cannes, Prague, 27 February 2004 - 5.5 million users* used the t-zones multimedia service in 2003. The growing interest in mobile data was positively reflected in the increase in the percentage of Non-Voice ARPU (including SMS). The percentage of Non-Voice ARPU in the Czech Republic is traditionally the highest in T-Mobile's territories, and increased from 19% to 21% in 2003. There have also been further increases in downloads and the messaging services.

t-zones, Non-Voice ARPU
Europe is the leader among T-Mobile's territories - four million customers use the t-zones service in Germany, United Kingdom, Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands. The remaining 1.5 million users are in the United States. Almost 300,000 users are registered on the t-zones portal in the Czech Republic.
The growth in the usage of data services was significantly reflected in the increase in the percentage of Non-Voice ARPU (including SMS), which amounted to 16% in Europe last year, an increase of 2% compared to 2002.

Downloads, new music offerings
In 2003, T-Mobile customers made 25 million downloads worldwide, with downloads by European customers making up half of this number. With 3.2 million downloads, T-Mobile customers in the Czech Republic were at the "top of the industry", overtaking even significantly larger markets. Mobile music services, especially ringtones, remain the most popular applications, accounting for over half of all downloads.

Two recent additions to T-Mobile's t-music offerings have already seen strong initial uptake among T?Mobile's customers. Realtones (the latest generation of ringtones based on real music tracks) were introduced by T-Mobile in Germany, the UK and Austria in October 2003.  Caller Tunes (the sound callers hear while waiting for their call to be answered) were introduced in the UK in December 2003 and in Germany (as "SoundLogo") in mid-February 2004. T-Mobile introduced a similar service in the Czech Republic this week.

SMS, MMS; new phone types
Messaging services have grown fast in the past year, with 22 billion SMS messages sent worldwide in 2003, which means an increase of 5.5 billion compared to 2002. In Europe, 18.3 million MMS messages were sent in 2003, with a tenfold increase of MMS users during that timeframe.
39% of all new handsets sold in 2003 were MMS enabled, while 14% were camera phones. Other handset features that support the t-zones experience are Java, large colour screens, embedded camera, next-generation ringtones and easy access to t-zones via a hard or soft t-button. In 2003, more than 90% of total handsets sold in T-Mobile's European markets were data enabled (WAP and/or GPRS).  In addition, 42% of handsets sold had colour screens, and 48% supported Java.

Country breakdown

2003 Global EU AT CZ DE NL UK
active t-zones users in Dec 2003 GPRS & WAP, excl. MMS 5.5 3.97 0.25 0.27 2.22 0.24 0.99
total SMS sent 21.97 17 0.52 1.67 11.24 0.59 2.98
total MMS sent 18.3 0.87 1.29 10.83 0.92 4.39
total downloads in 2003 - YTD December 24.46 12.46 0.97 3.23 5.06 1.08 2.12
About t-zones
T-Mobile's consumer data services strategy is focused on compelling entertainment and messaging services delivered via the t-zones multimedia service. T-Mobile Czech Republic was the first country to introduce a similar service (the quick.cz portal) in 2000. The other T-Mobile countries unveiled t-zones in March 2003. More than 150 partners provide over 500 t-zones services and at least 300 daily updates. t?zones comprises a portfolio of top class brands available to its customers including Sony, Universal Music, Turner Broadcasting, MTV, Sky, Financial Times and Wall Street Journal.

Note
*A "t-zones user/active user" is a T-Mobile customer that has accessed the t-zones multimedia portal at least once in a given month. Multiple portal entries by the same user will still be counted as only one unique active user.


 
About the Company

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.