The GSM Association (GSMA), the global trade association for the mobile industry, announced the winners of the Americas leg of the 2009 Mobile Innovation Global Award Competition on Jun 4. The top 15 innovators selected from a global portfolio of companies worldwide in 5 different categories competed at the Mobile Innovation Marketplace – Americas that’s taken place in Atlanta, Georgia, Jun 3-4.
CooTek is the winner in the Most Innovative Wireless Device-centric Technology category, and becomes one of the top 5 semi-finalists. We presented the TouchPal and its innovative T+ technology to a judging panel, and answered all the questions. The TouchPal and T+ technology finally convinced the judges with its innovation and impact to wireless devices.
Quotes from the judges
"I would like to congratulate all the participants who have progressed to this level," said Jeff Ezell, VP Long Term Service Planning and Business Development, AT&T. "The competition was fierce between the contestants and there were some fantastic presentations. I would especially like to congratulate modu and Ubidyne for winning this Americas regional leg of the 2009 Mobile Innovation Global Award Competition and wish them great success in Barcelona."
"Orange always seeks innovation and new ideas that help us offer our customers new options. At the Mobile Innovation Marketplace – Americas, we've seen some top-notch technology," said Steve Glagow, VP Partner Program, Orange. "The GSMA has again pulled together a winning group of contestants making the choice difficult for the judges. However, two technologies stood out above the rest and warrant special recognition and progression to Mobile World Congress next year. Congratulations modu and Ubidyne."
"Choosing amongst so many innovative proposals was a very difficult task," said Marcos Battisti, Mobile Sector Director, Intel Capital. "The different winners are companies that are truly making an impact in the overall telecommunications space. The industry is going through tremendous change and companies like the ones competing at the Mobile Innovation Marketplace - Americas are providing solutions that will address these challenges."
"I was impressed with the level of participation and commitment each of the innovators displayed and wish to thank them all for their participation in the Mobile Innovation Marketplace Americas," said Peter Barry, Head of Venture Capital and Start-ups, Vodafone Group. "It was a difficult decision for us to pick the Semi-Finalists and I was thrilled to be a part of the process. I would like to wish modu and Ubidyne my sincere congratulations and best of luck at the Mobile World Congress next year."
"The quality of the entries has been outstanding across all five categories and I believe this competition will lead to some significant opportunities for operators to take these innovative mobile services to market," said Steve Zimba, Managing Director, Global Telecoms Business, Communications Sector, Microsoft.
Other judges on the panel included Frederic Schepens, EVP, Strategic Business Development, Belgacom; Paolo Paganucci, VP Scouting & Benchmarking, TIM; Dixon Doll, Cofounder & General Partner, DCM; Dr. Cheol Kim, Director, SK Telecom and Jeff Belk, Principal, ICT168 Capitol, LLC.
About the GSMA:
The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing more than 750 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries and territories of the world. The Association's members represent more than 3 billion GSM and 3GSM connections - over 86% of the world's mobile phone connections. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and suppliers support the Association's initiatives as key partners.
The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to individual customers and national economies, while creating new business opportunities for operators and their suppliers.
Press at GSMA: http://www.gsmworld.com/news/press_2008/press08_38.shtml
