29th jun 2004 - Nokia today announced that its certified training program in mobile software application development has been expanded to include Nokia Certified Training Centers in Finland, Korea and Australia, as well as California. Launched last year in Asia and more recently expanded to North America and Europe, the training program is now offered in 11 countries around the world. Professional training companies joining the program include FCS Partners (Finland), Hampex (Korea), Object Training (Australia) and IS Inc. (California).

The program's curriculum has also been expanded. Developed by Nokia in conjunction with select professional training companies, the courses are designed around Nokia's Developer Platforms - basic technical specifications that unite groups of devices, creating common platforms for developers. Augmented by Nokia tools, knowledge and other materials, the curriculum now features eight modular course topics, including new additions which debut this month, such as Series 80 C++ 2.0, MMS, and Nokia UIs and Usability.

"The volume opportunities created by Nokia's Developer Platforms are helping draw record numbers of developers into the mobile space," said Hamad Rashid, manager, Developer Training, Nokia Mobile Software. "Mobile is one of the hottest areas of growth in software development right now. Our training program is playing an integral role for many developers as they expand their skill set to include the mobile arena."

The number of students participating in Nokia developer training is expected to double this year as interest in mobile software continues to grow around the world. Enterprise developers in particular have shown strong interest in the program - the majority of students thus far have been corporate attendees. Following the extension of the training program into Korea, Samsung plans to enroll 600 of its employees in the classes.

Following the expansion announced today, Nokia training is now available in the United States, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, Austria, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and Hong Kong. Also announced today, a self-study kit will be available from Nokia during the second half of 2004. This will give students in countries without a Nokia Certified Training Center the opportunity to benefit from the valuable information taught in the classes.

Each class covers a core technology or group of technologies vital to developing for Nokia platforms. For example, the "Series 60 C++ Development Introduction" course teaches aspiring mobile application developers how to create advanced Series 60 applications using the Symbian operating system and C++. Series 60 is the world's leading smart phone user interface, with over 10 million devices in the market. Created by Nokia, it is licensed to handset manufacturers representing approximately 60 percent of the global handset market, including LG Electronics, Lenovo, Nokia, Panasonic, Samsung, Sendo and Siemens.

As part of each training course, participants are given software developer kits (SDKs), all necessary work materials and CDs containing the tools and resources needed to create mobile applications and services. Coupled with the existing tools, documentation, support and other resources offered by Nokia's global developer operations group, Forum Nokia, the new training program provides a clear, comprehensive path to mobile application development.

Training classes are provided free of charge to active members of Forum Nokia PRO, the advanced developer program that gives member companies exclusive access to Nokia's best developer support resources, from loaner devices to prerelease tools and SDKs. Course information and training provider details are available at www.forum.nokia.com/training. For more information about Forum Nokia PRO, please visit www.forum.nokia.com/pro.

About Forum Nokia
Nokia's global developer program, Forum Nokia connects developers to tools, technical information, support, and distribution channels they can use to build and market applications around the globe. From offices in the U.S., Europe, Japan, China, and Singapore, Forum Nokia provides technical and business development support to developers and operators to assist them in achieving their goal of successfully launching applications and services to consumers and enterprises. More information is available at www.forum.nokia.com.

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