Nortel teams with HP for mobile services

Networking giant Nortel Networks is to join forces with Hewlett Packard (HP) to develop mobile portal, wireless, networking and ecommerce services.

The companies aim to deliver high-speed internet access, allowing people to roam between networks without losing their internet connection or internet Protocol (IP) address.

The first service will be a portal aimed at the mobile professional or remote workforce and will use HP's Wap platform. Users will be able to send and receive email and attachments, conduct ecommerce transactions and surf the internet more effectively, said HP.

The IP Mobility solution will enable users to access the internet, roaming freely and accessing content across wireline and wireless IP networks using a number of handheld devices, laptops and appliances.

Lloyd Carney, president of Nortel's wireless internet division, predicts that the global market for wireless infrastructure will be worth $200bn by 2003. He said the combined businesses will ensure wireless is a key enabler of the new e-services world.

"We're driving the second wave of ebusiness by reducing costs and increasing profit margins for operators and service providers, and enabling them to deliver revenue-generating wireless applications and devices at web speed," said Carney.

Nortel also announced today that it will create 2000 new high-technology jobs in Europe before the end of the year, increasing its workforce by 10 per cent. Of these, 450 will be in the UK and France.

The company will also allocate £2.2m in funding to European universities, of which six UK universities will benefit, as part of its commitment to "helping young people develop the skills they need to enter the technology-driven workforce".