-- New Sponsors, Partners and Supporters of the GSMA mHealth Grand Tour Will Help Raise Awareness of Diabetes and the Need for mDiabetes Solutions

LONDON, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The GSMA today announced that a number of new organisations, including ANT+, Orange, Team Blood Glucose (TeamBG) and Team Novo Nordisk, will take part in the GSMA mHealth Grand Tour cycle ride in September 2013. Through the collaboration of all sponsors, partners and supporters, the mHealth Grand Tour will bring together the mobile and healthcare industries, as well as the diabetes community, to raise awareness of diabetes and promote the development and delivery of mHealth solutions.

"It is encouraging to see such strong involvement from leading companies in technology and healthcare, as well as the cycling community, to raise awareness of how mobile can help improve the lives of people with diabetes," said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. "We encourage as many riders and organisations as possible to take part in the tour. Together we can work to deliver innovative products and services that address the immense challenges of managing, and importantly, preventing diabetes."

In Europe alone, there are 55 million people living with diabetes and it is one of the largest causes of death across the region. Mobile technology can support diabetes treatment and prevention by increasing the reach and accessibility of healthcare services, cutting the cost of care and reducing the impact of the illness on people's lives.

Riders from Team Novo Nordisk's development team, all of whom are living with type 1 diabetes, will participate in the 2,100 kilometre mHealth Grand Tour, which starts in Brussels on 5th September 2013 and finishes in Barcelona on 18th September 2013. In addition, Orange will be the official connectivity partner for the ride, providing innovative services that will capture, store and securely share patient health records during the ride, spanning five European markets. ANT+ will be the official technology partner and use its ultra-low power wireless technology to provide rider performance data and enable biometric statistics to be captured and shared via ANT+ partner devices and ANT+ enabled smartphones.  

TeamBG, a not-for-profit social enterprise that aims to inspire people with diabetes to achieve their sports and exercise goals, will enter up to 12 riders to promote healthy lifestyles and physical activity. During the Tour, TeamBG will be involved in trialling various mDiabetes products, including meter test kits for blood glucose management.

These organisations will join the GSMA and the International Diabetes Federation European Region (IDF Europe) in helping to raise awareness of diabetes care, prevention and research. New supporters of the Grand Tour include the Catalan Diabetes Association, Continua Health Alliance, Diabetes Croatia, Diabetes Germany, the European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN), Medtech Alliance, The King's Fund and TicSalut Foundation, among others. Participating riders will also receive expert support from organisations and individuals such as Carmichael Training Systems, Michelin-starred chef Alan Murchison and Michael Trenell, Professor of Movement and Metabolism at Newcastle University.

"This event is pivotal in showcasing real, end-to-end mHealth solutions that will greatly improve people's lives," stated Rod Morris, VP, ANT Wireless. "The convergence of sport and health monitoring is here today. This ride is about creating options for the entire diabetes community long-term and ANT+ is proud to be a part of such a key industry collaboration."

"Orange is committed to developing interoperable ICT-based healthcare solutions that will improve the quality of life of individuals with chronic illnesses by enabling the automatic flow of data from the patient to their care provider," said Thierry Zylberberg, Director of Orange Healthcare.  "We are very proud to support the GSMA mHealth Grand Tour as it is an excellent initiative that will raise awareness around the challenges that diabetes patients face on a daily basis. It also provides a great platform to promote the benefits of mobile health ICT solutions for the monitoring and management of illnesses."

"As the only all-amateur patient team, TeamBG is proud to be partnering with the IDF Europe and the GSMA to demonstrate the value and benefits of mHealth solutions and the positive effects they have on the lives of ordinary people with diabetes," said Paul Buchanan, Founder and CEO of TeamBG.

"We are really excited the Development Team will take part in such a great event for the diabetes community," said Phil Southerland, co-founder and CEO of Team Novo Nordisk. "When diagnosed with diabetes many people think that it means they won't be able to live a normal life and realise their dreams. As an all-diabetes sports team, Team Novo Nordisk shows that, with good blood glucose control, anything is possible and the mHealth Grand Tour is an excellent opportunity to educate, empower and inspire more people."

The GSMA mHealth Grand Tour is open to individual participants, teams, sponsors and supporters wishing to help raise awareness for diabetes and showcase innovative mHealth solutions. For more information, please visit www.mhealthtour.com or email enquiries@mhealthtour.com.

About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators with more than 230 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo. 

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com or Mobile World Live, the online portal for the mobile communications industry, at www.mobileworldlive.com.

SOURCE GSMA