Lightbridge To Provide Activation Services for new AT&T PocketNet
Service
Agreement will Provide Customers with Quick and Easy Access to Converged Services
BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 1998-- Lightbridge, Inc. (NASDAQ:LTBG - news), a leading
provider of customer acquisition and retention solutions for the global telecommunications industry, today announced it is
providing exclusive activation services for AT&T Wireless Services(R) new PocketNet(TM) Service. Lightbridge's
Telesto(TM) solution will allow for the activation to take place in under one minute.
PocketNet Service, provided by AT&T Wireless Services, is the first interactive service to combine two powerful networks --
wireless communications and the Internet. The PocketNet interactive communication and information service provides
individuals with unlimited Internet, e-mail and information access.
''We are very excited to be working with AT&T Wireless Services to support the introduction of a new class of wireless
service to the public,'' said Pamela Reeve, president and CEO of Lightbridge. ''As new methods of communicating continue to
emerge from the converging telecommunications market, Lightbridge is prepared to help carriers such as AT&T offer these
new services quickly and seamlessly.''
AT&T PocketNet service is sold in 22 cellular markets nationwide. Subscribers will be able to use the service in more than 70
of the nation's top 100 cellular markets. The service is carried in more than 300 retail locations, including AT&T Wireless
Stores and qualified AT&T Wireless dealers. AT&T expects distribution to reach 1,000 stores in 1998, including most leading
cellular and computer retailers.
Lightbridge has enhanced Telesto, specifically its Customer Acquisition System and POPS(TM) solutions, to enable
PocketNet service activation. Retail outlets and dealer stores will use POPS or the Customer Acquisition System to qualify
and activate new customers via a Web/dial-up or network connection. POPS is a Windows-based application with a graphical
user interface that allows even inexperienced sales staff to easily take customer applications, perform credit checks, activate
products/services, and check on the status of an application -- all within minutes.
Lightbridge has also developed an interface to UP.Browser(TM) -- a Web micro-browser for wireless handheld devices,
developed by Unwired Planet(TM) and used by PocketNet phones to access the Internet and to send and receive e-mail.
With UP.Browser, PocketNet phone users can use interactive information services on the World Wide Web, including news,
weather, sports, financial, entertainment, travel and directory services. More than 30 Powered-by UP(TM) sites are available
today, with hundreds more in development.
''Lightbridge allows us to provide our customers with quick and easy activation of the PocketNet service right
out-of-the-box,'' said Rietta Stoneman, IT director, AT&T Wireless Services, Inc., Wireless Data Division. ''AT&T
PocketNet service provides instant, real-time access to a wealth of information at your fingertips, and Lightbridge allows us to
activate this service just as quickly and conveniently.''
The new PocketNet service will provide business users with the ability to read and respond to e-mail messages, forward
documents to the nearest fax machine for hard copy print out and access other information on the Internet such as stock
quotes, weather forecasts and phone directories. The service includes unlimited access to 25 PocketNet information sites,
including ABCNews.com, Bloomberg Online, ESPN SportsZone, InfoSpace and Travelocity.
''Mobile phones are commonplace business tools today,'' said Benjamin Linder, vice president of marketing of Unwired
Planet. ''We've enhanced the usefulness of this familiar device, by providing a platform that quickly and easily extends
Web-based applications and services to millions of subscribers. With Internet and intranet wireless connectivity, mobile
professionals get just the information they need, when they need it.''
''This offering represents a sign of the times,'' said Robert J. Rich, vice president, Telecommunications Research and
Consulting at the Yankee Group. ''With the growth in demand for converged services like PocketNet, the frequency with
which we see cooperation between leading solution component providers like Lightbridge, AT&T, and Unwired Planet will
increase dramatically.''
About AT&T Wireless Services, Wireless Data Division
AT&T Corp. is the world's premier communications and information services company, serving more than 90 million
customers, including consumers, businesses and government. The company has annual revenues of more than $52 billion and
130,000 employees. It runs the world's largest, most sophisticated communications network and is the leading provider of
long-distance and wireless services. AT&T operates in more than 200 countries around the world.
About Lightbridge
Lightbridge, Inc. (NASDAQ:LTBG), based in Burlington, Mass., is a leading provider of software-based services that help
global telecommunications carriers quickly acquire customers and retain them over time. Lightbridge has leveraged its credit
processing expertise into solutions that help carriers quickly and cost-effectively provide bundled services through new
channels. Telesto(TM), Lightbridge's network of integrated customer acquisition and retention solutions, provides best-in-class
credit, fraud, churn, channel and market performance solutions to such clients as 360(degree) Communications, AT&T
Wireless, BellSouth Mobility DCS, Omnipoint Communications and Sprint PCS. It is the only complete, workflow-enhanced
system for customer interaction in the converged telecommunications marketplace. Additional information on the company can
be found on the Web at lightbridge.com.
Telesto and POPS are trademarks of Lightbridge Inc. AT&T is a registered trademark of AT&T Corp. Unwired Planet is a
trademark of Unwired Planet Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective
owners.
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning Lightbridge that involve a number of risks and uncertainties.
Important factors that could cause Lightbridge's actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking
statements include risks set forth under the caption ''Risk Factors'' in Lightbridge's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended Dec. 31, 1996.
Contact:
Lightbridge, Inc.
Kate Strong, 781/359-4852
kstrong@lightbridge.com
or
Neva Group
Monique Klares/Caitlinn Cohen, 617/441-4000 x246/232
mklares@neva.com
ccohen@neva.com |
