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                                       -Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft at the 3GSM Conference

On Mobile Industry

I love the mobile industry, and I love our operator partners.

    We're at a point in time today that the devices that one can put in one's pocket are really like mini PCs. The 3G networks are like broadband networks and our customers will really expect the same flexibility and choice of activities that they get on the PC today.

    Powerful devices meet powerful networks in small form factors. And that's the opportunity I think in front of all of us at this stage in time.

On Digital Divide

There's still a digital divide, or people who participate and do not participate in the digital lifestyle.

On Microsoft Product Portfolio

We've spent the last 10 or 15 years really building out business infrastructure with products like our Exchange e-mail system, our Live Communication Server instant messaging system and others. We've worked over the last five or six years to really build out the Internet services in the cloud, products like Hotmail and MSN Instant Messenger, and our Windows Live search. But it's really the mobile device in some senses that completes this picture, and brings together an end-to-end offering that we can partner with mobile operators to really enable the digital lifestyle and digital work style for our customers.

On Microsoft's Priorities

One of the top, top, top priorities of our sales force around the globe is to not only sell the new version of Windows and the new version of Office and Outlook and Exchange, but to drive Windows Mobile penetration into the business market to allow things to develop and flourish.  

On Blackberry

A few years ago, I'd go talk to customers and they'd say, 'Where's your solution to compete with Blackberry,' and I'd show them a device, and they'd say, 'Oh, that's not quite the perfect device for me.' And so it really got me personally and our teams very enthusiastic about making sure that we were spurring innovation among hardware makers to show this wide range of hardware.

Operators are constantly pushing me,'Tell me what you're going to do in the PC to better support 3G,' 'How do we get 3G into notebook computers and tablets as standard functionality.

On Business and Personal use of devices

Everybody I talk to likes to distinguish carefully between the so-called business customer and the consumer. I actually don't know myself really what the difference is many times. I agree there are some people who are pure consumers, and I agree there are some people who are purely businesspeople, but most people at least I interact with view themselves as people, and they have a personal life and they have a professional life. And particularly for the device that goes in their pocket, they want that device to be able to give them one glimpse of their information, whether it happens to be part of their private life or it happens to be part of their professional life.

I get personal e-mail and I get business e-mail; I want to be able to bring those together on one device. I've got one set of contacts; I don't really want to manage two sets of contacts, I have one set of contacts for my life. Yes, I have an address book that I see from my company, but I also have contacts and people that I contact with instant messaging, I want to see their presence, what they're up to, one view of my world.

On cooperation between operators, device makers, and software vendors

We really want a consistent software experience that sits behind these devices and bridges the personal and professional world. That will only happen if at least one company like ours, and maybe some others, too, put in place an end-to-end vision and software that enables it, and then really works with mobile operators to make it come true. It requires incredible cooperation and coordination between mobile operators, enterprises, and the technology providers to bring it to life.

On device Capability of Windows Vista

In Windows Vista we have Mobile Device Center that helps you synchronize information across a set of mobile devices, personal media devices, Windows Media Center Portable devices, and PCs.

Customers are demanding more, and people have higher expectations for their mobile devices. They want them to perform the same functions as their PC or laptop. Microsoft is uniquely positioned because we offer it all. We can help to provide access to all kinds of rich media and to many kinds of messaging services. We want to work with partners to enable unlimited choice for customers. We're going to continue to create compelling mobile services in an end-to-end scenario and offer it directly to customers. But we're committed to enabling choice for mobile operators so they get added value from Microsoft and, in turn, can provide choice to their customers.