Synchronica Inks Partnership Deal with Canada's NewPace Technology Development Inc.

ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS, UK, Feb. 20, 2012 /CNW/ - Synchronica plc ("Synchronica" or "the Company")(AIM: SYNC) (TSX Venture: SYN), the international provider of next-generation mobile messaging services, has signed a letter of intent with Canada's NewPace Technology Development Inc. ("NewPace") to cooperate in the development, sales and marketing of a Rich Communication Suite (RCS) product. 

Rich Communication Suite (RCS) is a mobile industry standards effort led by the GSM Association (GSMA) that unifies communication such as voice, presence, status, instant messaging/texting, buddy lists, media sharing, conferencing and video chat into one service on a mobile handset without the need for third-party software and downloads. 

The proposed collaboration agreement between the two companies will enable NewPace's Rich Communication Suite of products to be extended to Synchronica's growing list of worldwide clients. Synchronica's client base extends to more than 100 mobile operators and device manufacturers globally. Under the collaboration agreement, NewPace will license its current and future RCS technology to Synchronica, who will be responsible for marketing and sales of the products and technology. The two groups will collaborate to create a joint product and sales roadmap. The relationship between the two companies extends back to January 2011 when Synchronica acquired Neustar NGM Messaging products. NewPace's professional services team had provided the technical support for the Neustar products and has continued doing so for Synchronica.

"NewPace's focus on innovation and insight has been a major factor in making our decision," explains Simon Taylor, EVP Sales and Business Development at Synchronica. "This partnership presents us with a great deal of potential, not least the 'time to market' benefits of being able to provide a full RCS-e solution which meets the needs of our customers today. Synchronica and NewPace are both acknowledged leaders in their respective fields, and by working with NewPace, Synchronica has found a cost-efficient way to be amongst the first to offer this ground-breaking product that is set to change the way in which we use our mobile phones." 

"We're really looking forward to demonstrating our RCS offering at Mobile World Congress," continues Kim Hartlev, Chief Technical Officer at Synchronica. "We believe that our solution, which enables RCS services without capital outlay, will be of great interest to operators who are keen to deploy this next-generation technology but are put off by the prospect of making significant changes to their core network." 

Both parties will be responsible for their own costs under the collaboration agreement which will grant Synchronica exclusive rights to a selection of mobile operators, and is based on a revenue sharing arrangement. In the agreement, NewPace will retain the Intellectual Property developed, and under certain limited conditions will provide Synchronica with the first right of offer to purchase the intellectual property at fair market value. 

""This is an exciting partnership for NewPace," suggests Brent Newsome, CEO of NewPace. "Synchronica's reach in the marketplace provides our team with a significant opportunity to extend our products globally while allowing us to concentrate on what we do best, new technology development." Further announcements about the product will follow at Mobile World Congress (www.mobileworldcongress.com), where both companies will be conducting onsite demonstrations. 

About Synchronica

Synchronica plc is a leading developer of standards-based, next-generation mobile messaging solutions for mobile operators and device manufacturers. The Company's flagship product - Synchronica Mobile Gateway - provides pre-RCS push email, synchronisation, instant messaging (IM), and social networking services to any mobile phone currently in use. Synchronica's patented transcoding technology uses advanced streaming to download email attachments and dramatically reduce the consumption of wholesale network bandwidth by as much as 90 percent. 

Synchronica's white-labelled products are licensed by more than 100 mobile operator and device manufacturer customers from emerging and developed markets, delivering mass market messaging services across the entire customer base, providing competitive advantage, diversifying revenues, and reducing churn. 

Synchronica is headquartered in the United Kingdom and has a regional presence in Canada, as well as the USA, Hong Kong, Spain, and Dubai. Synchronica also operates dedicated development centres in Germany and the Philippines. A public company, Synchronica is traded on the AIM list of the London Stock Exchange (SYNC) and the Venture Exchange of the Toronto Stock Exchange (SYN). For further information, please visit www.synchronica.com  

About NewPace Technology Development

Founded in 2009, NewPace is a privately held professional software engineering company based in Halifax, Canada. NewPace delivers cutting-edge software solutions in a variety of domains, including mobile applications for the enterprise and the Rich Communications Suite. Having developed large-scale VoIP products and implemented global integration of Instant Messaging products the NewPace team has substantial experience in telecommunications development and operations. The organization services a wide variety of global clients providing a stable secure environment and the expertise to delivery robust, high availability and scalable solutions. 

The NewPace team includes specialists in Android™, BlackBerry® and iOS™ platforms development; VoIP/SIP applications; graphic designers; software developers; quality assurance and operations specialists. To find out more about NewPace visit: www.newpace.com  

Cautionary Statements

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

The foregoing information may contain forward-looking statements relating to the future performance of Synchronica. Forward-looking statements, specifically those concerning future performance, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from Synchronica's plans and expectations. These plans, expectations, risks and uncertainties are detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by Synchronica with the TSX Venture Exchange and securities regulators. Synchronica does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

If you are a trade journalist or analyst requiring further information, or to schedule interviews, please contact: 

Synchronica Plc
Public Relations Advisor
Lindsey Lee
[email protected]
M: [phone]

NewPace
Director of Communications
Christina Carew
[email protected]
M: 902-221-1927

For Synchronica investor relations enquiries, please contact: 

Walbrook PR Ltd
[phone]
Investor Enquiries, UK
Paul Cornelius
[email protected]

TMX Equicom
[phone] Ext 290
Investor Enquires, North America
Craig MacPhail
[email protected]

For Synchronica corporate information, please contact: 

Synchronica plc
[phone]
Chief Executive Officer
Angus Dent

BDO Corporate Finance
[phone]
Rule 3 Advisor
John Stephan;
David Abbott;
Susan Brice

Northland Capital Partners
[phone]
Nominated Advisor
Corporate Broker
Shane Gallwey;
Rod Venables
Katie Shelton

Walbrook PR Ltd
[phone]
Media and Analyst Enquiries, UK
Paul McManus
[email protected]

TMX Equicom
[phone] Ext 290
Media and Analyst Enquiries, North America
Craig MacPhail
[email protected]