REDMOND, Wash., July 1, 1999 — Microsoft today announced that it will acquire Sendit AB, a Swedish company that develops software solutions for digital cellular providers. Sendit, a worldwide leader in Mobile Internet technology, will continue to develop as a business unit within Microsoft’s Server Applications team, and Microsoft will use Sendit’s skills and experience to establish its first product development center in the Nordic region.
Sendit, based in Stockholm and founded in 1994, produces the Internet Cellular Smart Access (ICSA) server — built on Microsoft BackOffice and Windows NT — which allows digital cellular providers to become Mobile Internet Service Providers, offering e-mail and Internet access to cellular phones and other devices. Sendit’s technical and business experience in wireless Internet technology, combined with Microsoft’s resources and product development skills, will result in products and technologies that give consumers access to information anytime, anywhere, from any device connected to the Internet.
The acquisition also gives Microsoft a presence in the Nordic countries, already leaders in telecommunications and wireless technology. “The Nordic countries are establishing themselves as the ‘Wireless Valley’ of the world,” said Mats Wennberg, regional director of Microsoft Nordic. “Microsoft has long recognized the level of competence and technical skills that exist in this region,” The new product development center will complement existing centers in Israel, India and Japan, as well as Microsoft Research facilities in Beijing, China, and Cambridge, England.