RealNetworks and Idea Cellular Partner for Ringback Tone (RBT) Service in India

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Feb 22, 2012, 06:00 ET

MUMBAI, India, Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- RealNetworks India Pvt. Limited, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of RealNetworks®, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK), the US-based digital entertainment services company, has inked a long-term Ringback Tone (RBT) partnership with Idea Cellular. Idea Cellular is India's 3rd largest mobile services operator with over 100 million subscribers. RealNetworks won the deal after a rigorous open bidding process ahead of many global and India VAS players.

Idea has introduced several 'industry first' VAS innovations in the past, building a reputation as a thought leader in the telecom space. RealNetworks will power Dialer Tones for 10 key circles in Gujarat, Rajasthan, UP West, UP East, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Kolkata, Assam and North East.

The subscriber base of these circles constitute about one-third of Idea Cellular's total base, who will now have access to globally advanced and innovative service features.

"Dialer Tones has matured as a product and growth has stagnated. There is a need to invest in innovation and think out-of-the-box. We hope to partly address this through our partnership with RealNetworks. After a rigorous evaluation process, RealNetworks emerged as 'best fit' for the job at hand. We hope to leverage their global expertise in music, technology and licensing," said Sashi Shankar, CMO, Idea Cellular Limited.

"We are honored to be chosen as the RBT partner of Idea Cellular," said DJ Lee, Head of RealNetworks AsiaPacific Co., Ltd. "RealNetworks' global expertise in RBT deployment, combined with Idea Cellular's deep and ongoing commitment to its subscribers' satisfaction, means that Idea's subscribers will have the opportunity to enjoy innovative, reliable and fun RBT services."

RealNetworks is a global pioneer in Ringback Tone Services, and its RBT ASP service is available through 16 mobile operators in 10 countries around the world with 588 million subscribers.

Recently, RealNetworks opened its second office in India in Mumbai as a result of the new deal with Idea Cellular. "RealNetworks India plans to aggressively expand our base with multiple carriers in Mumbai as well as across the country," said DJ Kim, Country Manager, RealNetworks India Pvt. Limited. "We will move ahead to bring RealNetworks globally proven VAS services and expertise from advanced markets like USA, Korea and Europe to the fast-growing and promising India market."

RealNetworks has been steadily growing its business in India since the company opened its first office in National Capital Region (NCR) in 2005. RealNetworks already provides RBT service for Tier 1 and Tier 2 carriers as well as VAS operations to Tier 1 carriers.

About IDEA Cellular Ltd

IDEA Cellular is India's 3rd largest national mobile operator, with over 100 million subscribers. With traffic in excess of a billion minutes a day, Idea ranks among the Top 10 country operators in the world. Using the latest in technology, Idea provides world-class service delivery through the most extensive network of customer touch points. Idea is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.

IDEA Cellular is an Aditya Birla Group Company, India's first truly multinational corporation. The group operates in 33 countries, and is anchored by more than 132,000 employees belonging to 42 nationalities. More information on the Company is available at: www.ideacellular.com and on the Group at: www.adityabirla.com.

About RealNetworks

RealNetworks creates innovative applications and services that make it easy for people to connect with and enjoy digital media. RealNetworks invented the streaming media category and continues to connect consumers with their digital media both directly and through partners, aiming to support every network, device, media type and social network. Find RealNetworks corporate information at http://www.realnetworks.com/our-story.

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