Europe : elata has been selected by Areeba, the only private GSM and the only 3G operator in Cyprus, to enable the unified management and delivery of innovative mobile content and services to its subscribers.

Inset is Matt Hooper of elata.

With the elata senses™ mobile content delivery and digital rights management (DRM) software system, Areeba will offer subscribers a variety of multimedia content including Java games, ringtones, wallpapers and video clips.

The deal will see elata senses deployed first by Areeba Cyprus with the licence extending to eight other networks under the Areeba brand including Ghana, Syria and Yemen by the end of 2005.

Areeba, the only private mobile operator in Cyprus, an EU Member State, launched services in September 2004. The new operator was also the first to launch a 3G network in December 2004.

“Areeba is a new entrant to the mobile market in Cyprus and we were looking for a dynamic software system to implement our mobile content delivery strategy within a short timescale,” explained Maher Mikati, Chief Executive Officer at Areeba Ltd. “Not only is elata senses a best-of-breed system, offering a unified framework to manage and protect all content objects with digital rights, the software system is future-proof and can be customised to meet our changing requirements.”

Stephen Dunford, Chief Executive Officer at elata Ltd added: “We are delighted to add an innovator like Areeba to our growing customer base. Areeba is a new multinational mobile brand that proved its willingness to progress and succeed in a very short time, especially by introducing and commercially launching a third generation network in Cyprus. elata senses will enable Areeba to differentiate their services by delivering an exciting range of new data services to their subscribers and control the entire content delivery lifecycle. This deal positions elata as a clear leader in the mobile content delivery market place, providing software that can be easily customised to meeting the needs of mobile network operators as their service develops while delivering a strong return-on-investment and greater competitive advantage.”