SWINDON firms are helping to get everyone in the world connected to a mobile phone.

This week has seen the announcement of a new wave of Motorola technology and also seen Kodiak Networks which has its Europe Middle East and African headquarters at the Windmill Hill business park announce a deal with handset manufacturer Sagem.

The firm has been taking part in the 3GSM world congress at Cannes in the South of France as well as showing off new handsets, including models with high-resolution cameras, Bluetooth wireless technology, a lamp, video streaming and dual stereo speakers.

Motorola, which has a network infrastructure plant at Groundwell in Swindon, has also announced it has been chosen by the GSM Association to supply the first handsets to parts of the developing world.

The mobile phone industry has created what it calls the Emerging Market Handset programme, aimed at countries which do not have mobile phone markets as developed as those in Western Europe and America.

About 80 per cent of the world is covered by a mobile phone network but only one in four people has access to a phone.

In the next year Motorola hopes to ship out 6 million low-cost handsets to countries including India, the Philippines, Indonesia and Turkey and be part of a push to add 100 million new connections.

Motorola's chairman and chief executive Ed Zander said: "Connecting the unconnected is a critical component of Motorola's growth strategy.

"It is the right thing for us to do as a good global citizen.

"We're delighted to have on the opportunity to deliver the magic of mobile communications to those who have never experienced it."

Meanwhile, Kodiak Networks has announced a deal with Sagem to put the Kodiak Real-time Exchange into its handsets.

Kodiak has developed a push-to-talk system with Orange, that will see mobile phones include a feature that allows them to be used almost like walkie-talkies with a group of people, so a group of friends or business colleagues could have a conversation easily.

Now Kodiak's network technology is starting to spread around the world.

Vice president for sales in Europe, Middle East and Africa John CatererCOR said: "We're beginning to spread our wings around Europe.

"The focus has been on making sure the deal with Orange stays successful.

"Now there's the deal with Sagem and we're looking at Africa which shows great potential for us as well."

Kodiak, which is based in San Ramon, California, is one of the leading system innovators in the world and is used on handsets from manufacturers including Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG, PalmOne and TCL/Alcatel.