German operator Deutsche Telekom is part of an US$40 million investment round in Jawbone, the increasingly wellknown mobile health and lifestyle device vendor.  The operator will also be Jawbone’s “key strategic and lead carrier partner” for its European expansion, the US firm said. Jawbone is the manufacturer of the UP, a wirelessly enabled wristband (pictured), as well as the Jambox wireless speaker.  Other investors in the US$40 million round are Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, individual investor Yuri Milner and investors advised by JP Morgan Asset Management. Total investment in Jawbone to date is a sizeable US$210 million.

The UP wristband monitors a user’s daily activity so that they can live a more healthy lifestyle. Its backing by Deutsche Telekom fits with some other recent moves by the German operator in the mobile health and wellness market. It already sells health products in some of its German stores. Its backing could contribute to the UP becoming a popular device outside the US. The new funding will also assist its international expansion. Jawbone already has a rooster of highly rated investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures and Sequoia Capital. But not all is straightforward for the vendor. It recently experienced some glitches with a recently released version of the UP and had to reimburse dissatisfied customers.