Comverse announced at the Mobile Multimedia Messaging Content and Applications Congress in Amsterdam the addition of its Multimedia Messaging Service Developer Suite to the Comverse Developer Zone.

Comverse's MMS Developer Suite offers developers a complete set of resources needed to build, test and bring MMS applications to market quickly. Comverse's MMS Developer Suite provides easy-to-use yet powerful development tools, comprehensive documentation, extensive support services and valuable community resources. The Comverse MMS Software Development Kit (SDK) is an important facet of the MMS Developer Suite that facilitates the creation of MMS applications by eliminating the developer's need to master MMS protocols and technologies. The Comverse MMS SDK is designed to accelerate developers' time-to-market and reduce costs and development efforts. This should enable mobile operators to more rapidly introduce new and exciting MMS applications and services to subscribers that can increase average revenue per user (ARPU).

Benny Einhorn, Chief Marketing Officer for Comverse, stated, "Local content and applications are key drivers for MMS success. Comverse works closely with regional and local developers, putting special emphasis on cultural expression. Working at both the global and local levels allows Comverse - a global company with strong local presenceand staff located around the world - to team up with the most innovative application and content providers."

"We are looking forward to optimizing our MMS solutions with Comverse's SDK. The MMS Software Development Kits will allow us to enhance functionalities easily," said Christian Lutz, Chief Executive Officer at UCP, a leading MMS application developer. "Developers will benefit with quick time-to-market and operators and end users will take advantage of the enhanced user experience created by the new MMS applications."

Comverse is already working with content providers and innovative application developers around the globe to deliver attractive MMS-based services, applications and content, including, Bug-Life, Corbis, M-web, m-Wise, UCP, Voxline, and 3DME. MMS developers working with Comverse enjoy the following advantages:

Develop Once, Connect Everywhere: Comverse's MMS SDK supports the most common standard MMS interface, SMTP-based MM7, to ensure interoperability with many operators.
Future Proof: Comverse's standards compliant Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)-based MM7 interface provides greater functionality than the current MM7 implementations and enables MMS applications to be fully interoperable with all MMSCs adhering to the MM7 standard interface. Further, Comverse's interface is designed to ensure compatibility among applications.

Handset Independency: Developers can build content optimized for a variety of commercially available MMS terminals as well as test and see how their application/content is displayed on different MMS handsets. Applications can take full advantage of unique handset capabilities and also can be optimized for special terminal characteristics. Comverse's SDK is complementary to other protocols such as WAP and application environments such as Java and BREW.

Marketing Support: Through its Spark AllianceSM Program, Comverse promotes certified applications developed by premier partners.
In addition to the MMS Developer Suite, Comverse offers Developer Suites for SMS, Fun-n-Games, VoiceXML and Mobile Portal. Developers from dozens of countries are currently participating in the Comverse Developer Program.