Wireless carrier Nextel Communications Inc. on Wednesday announced its Wireless Business Solutions initiative, a combination of home-grown applications and partnerships with large systems integrators designed to woo corporate customers.
“As a result of partnerships with IBM and [Electronic Data Systems] and Sun [Microsystems Inc.], new products are being created,” said Ernie Cormier, vice president of enterprise solutions at Nextel in Reston, Va. “In other cases its taking our partners products and bringing them to our customers.”
Nextel also is working on enterprise applications with Motorola Inc., which makes phones with walkie-talkie capabilities for the companys wireless networks, and with Research in Motion Ltd., which plans to introduce a BlackBerry wireless device for Nextels network later this year.
Nextels biggest corporate customers are in vertical markets such as transportation and manufacturing, and the company plans to continue its focus on verticals, but officials said they plan to offer more general corporate applications for horizontal markets as well.
The company now offers about 30 wireless data applications and plans to offer another 20 by the end of the year that focus on field force and sales force automation, Cormier said.
Nextel also plans to expand its developer program, especially for Java applications, Cormier said. Currently about 7,000 developers belong to Nextels program.
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