Europe : Coffee mornings are out, mobile communication is in: Women are already the world champions when it comes to messaging. They view technology in terms of the functionality it offers and are favorably predisposed to UMTS. That is the result of a survey of 3,000 consumers in Germany, France and Great Britain conducted by Europressedienst on behalf of the mobile communication group at Siemens AG - Siemens mobile for short.

For men, technology is an emotive subject. But not for women. As far as owning a mobile phone is concerned, they in no way lag behind the men, and even register higher than them when it comes to sending SMS messages. The survey results show that women are also open to the idea of UMTS. Like their male counterparts, half of the female interviewees are convinced that UMTS will be a market success. Compared to French and British women, Germans are particularly optimistic about UMTS's future. They occupy third place behind the British and French men. And guess what: In Germany, it is primarily high-ranking female civil servants who believe in UMTS. It is precisely the public sector that it is most in need of modern, mobile communications.

European women are particularly interested in mobile services such as
e-mail. In all three countries, women are more interested than men in the possibility of sending photos and videos (MMS). However, location-based services and traffic information are also frequently cited as attractive applications. In particular, women employed in managerial positions are upbeat in their appraisal of UMTS which they hope will simplify their professional lives in many situations. Women are also more rational when it comes to deciding to buy. For them, it is usefulness that counts - and here much more information on UMTS is required. Some women want to wait and see what the new technology has to offer in everyday use. However, the majority of interviewees say they want to acquire a UMTS mobile telephone.

Rudi Lamprecht, member of the managing board at Siemens AG, says: "The results show that women will play an important role in UMTS's future. We expect to tap into the UMTS mass market in 2005. The third generation of mobile communication equipment already accounts for 15 percent of our business. This proportion will continue to rise, making UMTS a major source of income. We are the world leaders in this business field and have a lead of three to six months over our competitors in terms of the construction of UMTS networks."

Siemens mobile and its Japanese partner NEC have so far supplied a record-breaking 25,000 of the base stations that are required for the operation of UMTS networks. The majority of the base stations are manufactured in Durach, Bavaria, with further units coming from the new factory in Shanghai. Currently approximately 1.3 mobile telephone users worldwide make their calls over the two partners' UMTS networks. Overall, seven of the world's twelve commercial UMTS networks have been constructed by Siemens mobile/NEC. No other equipment supplier can as yet match this number of networks.