Synchronica Among First to Support New FUMO Standard

London, September 12, 2006. — Synchronica plc, an international developer and provider of mobile device management and synchronization solutions, has today announced its full support for the recently ratified Firmware Update Management Object (FUMO) version 1.0 standard.

Pioneered by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), FUMO allows mobile devices to be updated over-the-air using the industry-standard protocol OMA DM. Whether it be a simple security patch, or an overhaul of a phone's operating system, FUMO enables operators and device manufacturers to perform simple and complex updates over-the-air.

Operators around the globe have traditionally been reluctant to introduce proprietary technology for over-the-air updates, largely due to being locked into a relationship with a specific supplier. The OMA has addressed this by creating an industry standard (OMA DM / FUMO) which allows updates to be installed over-the-air using a device-independent and cross-platform protocol.

OMA has been conducting an interoperability-testing programme for device manufacturers and server vendors ensuring an interoperable update solution for the billions of mobile devices on the market. To date, the OMA has over 300 members including all major device manufacturers and software vendors of the mobile industry.

Carsten Brinkschulte, CEO of Synchronica explains, "Although OTA firmware update using the industry standard OMA DM has been on the market for around two years, it has now reached a broad acceptance in the industry and is supported by all major device manufacturers."

He adds, "We have reached a stage where operators and manufacturers can offer it as a standard service to customers reducing support costs and improving customer satisfaction. Instead of directing subscribers a service shop or asking them to send-in their devices for a software-update, operators and manufacturers can now send common updates, or security patches over-the-air."

"Driven by the need for an interoperable update solution for the billions of mobile devices in the market, OMA has released FUMO as a Candidate Enabler Release that will ultimately meet consumer demand for increased quality and capability in the handsets they already use," says Jari Alvinen, Chairman of the Board, OMA.

Alvinen adds, "As FUMO moves into the OMA's interoperability testing program and subsequently becomes an Approved Enabler Release, the potential global impact is highly significant across the mobile value chain. Ever widening consumer demand for rich mobile content and services necessitates mobile devices that support increasingly sophisticated technologies. The need to administer and manage these devices makes FUMO a required capability for operators around the globe."

About Synchronica

Synchronica develops and markets synchronization and device management solutions for mobile operators, device manufacturers, and enterprises. Its product portfolio ranges from data synchronization (OMA DS) to device management (OMA DM) and firmware update over-the-air (FUMO/FOTA). Synchronica has a strong track record in the mobile industry including several live carrier-grade installations. Products include the SyncML DM Server which enables operators and device manufacturers to build automated customer-care systems and the SyncML Gateway, which enables seamless synchronization of corporate data including Push-Email using OMA DS and Push IMAP. Its latest offering, Mobile Manager, enables mobile operators and application service providers (ASPs) to offer mobile device management as a hosted solution to enterprise customers. Headquartered in the UK with offices in Berlin and Washington D.C., Synchronica plc is a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIM:SYNC). More information is available at http://www.synchronica.com

Contact Synchronica:

Nicole B. Meissner
Chief Marketing Officer
Phone: +44 (0) 1580 831 412
Mobile: +44 (0) 7977 256 412
Fax: +44 (0) 1580 606 5045

PR Agency Synchronica:

Eclat Marketing
Lindsey Lee, Josie Pearson or Denis Davies
Tel.: +44 118 9895 600
synchronica@eclat.co.uk