Fujitsu Ltd. and French telecommunications firm Sagem SA agreed Tuesday to jointly develop basic technologies for third-generation cell phones.

Fujitsu and the Paris-based firm will jointly develop technologies for a new communications platform that will enable dual-mode capability and will work on an application platform necessary to run various multimedia functions, they said in a joint statement Wednesday.

Sagem, a telecommunications equipment and defense electronics maker, is among the world's top 15 mobile phone makers. Fujitsu, ranked seventh in the domestic mobile phone market, has been left behind in the global market.

Under the terms of the tieup, Fujitsu will engage in application platform development in Japan, and Sagem will focus on the development of a communications platform in France.

The two hope to shorten the development period for 3G mobile phone systems by sharing technology and plan to introduce new technology for 3G handsets by the latter half of 2003, they said.

The two firms will also jointly conduct interoperability testing to enable the phones to be used internationally, they said.