Hi - it's America calling

Microsoft has joined with AT&T Wireless in a deal that could open new channels for its .Net services and extend the Windows operating system into new markets.

As expected, the software giant announced the deal Wednesday. The alliance encompasses three broad areas: getting Microsoft software onto new devices, simplifying access to corporate information over wireless devices and enabling location-based services. The deal is an important first step for bringing to mass market Microsoft's Pocket PC Phone Edition, which the company officially unveiled in February. Microsoft and AT&T said that they were at the late stages of product development and would deliver devices using the software in the fourth quarter.

*cough* Behind Europe *cough*

"This thing is real," said John Zeglis, AT&T Wireless CEO, during a Wednesday morning conference call about the partnership. "We have joint working groups focused solely on developing these new wireless data solutions. We also have customer trials under way, and we commercially will launch the first set of services before the end of this year."

AT&T Wireless will release devices based on the Pocket PC Phone Edition operating system and, eventually, those based on Microsoft's Smartphone operating system. Smartphone devices aren't expected to reach the market until as late as mid-2003, Zeglis said. The company also will release wireless modems for notebooks and Microsoft's forthcoming Tablet PC.

News source: c|net