AIME mention somewhere near the bottom.....
Internet Content and Commerce Solutions to Utilities
SAN CARLOS, Calif., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- CellNet Data Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CNDS), a market-leading provider of fixed-network
wireless information services, today announced that it has formed a strategic alliance with InfoSpace.com (Nasdaq: INSP), a leading provider
of private label solutions for content and commerce for Web sites and Internet appliances, to offer pre-packaged Internet services to electric,
gas and water utilities through MyHomeLink.com (www.myhomelink.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of CellNet.
CellNet's MyHomeLink.com will integrate InfoSpace.com's content and commerce solution to offer utilities, for the first time, the ability to
deliver millions of U.S. residential customers a broad range of Internet services through customizable Web sites. These services include access
to electric, gas and water usage data collected and delivered over the CellNet network, alternative rate plans, online bill presentation and
payment, as well as localized classifieds, banking services, community messaging and a host of e-commerce opportunities. In addition,
MyHomeLink.com Web sites will be designed to fully integrate with a utility's billing software, potentially generating sizable cost savings for
utilities.
MyHomeLink.com will also provide utilities and their customers with the functionality to interface with a two-way thermostat or home
management systems and other electrical, gas and water devices that communicate directly with the utility using the CellNet network as a
low-cost gateway to the home.
"CellNet's relationship with utilities enable InfoSpace.com's content to be potentially used by millions of new customers," said InfoSpace.com
chairman and CEO Naveen Jain. "As users are able to control additional devices through the Web, InfoSpace.com will also be able to provide
the infrastructure for content to non-PC devices such as two-way thermostats, and other home management systems."
"The potential size of the market for MyHomeLink.com services in the United States is huge," said John "Mick" Seidl, CellNet chairman and
chief executive officer. "Revenues in the electric, gas and water businesses exceed $300 billion, utility meters -- water, gas and electric --
exceed 250 million, and households exceed 100 million. Personalized utility Web portals -- for municipal and investor-owned utilities -- could
increase connectivity to the Web in a material way. As the need for better management of energy costs becomes critical in the deregulating,
competitive world that exists today, MyHomeLink.com will provide the information and the means to track expenditures, buy energy
efficient appliances, and control energy usage through easy-to-use Web sites.
"MyHomeLink.com will bring a new degree of control to millions of residential customers over time," continued Seidl. "They will be able to
set their thermostat temperature, monitor home management systems, and receive important data about their energy usage, all through a
friendly Web interface. For utilities, MyHomeLink.com Web sites will enable a new marketing pipe to their customers, increasing customer
service and loyalty while realizing additional revenue streams from e-commerce. At the same time, this new service should lower utility cost
structures through load management, online bill presentation and payment, and similar new services. This is the future in a deregulated,
competitive energy environment.
"CellNet is uniquely qualified to offer these new Internet services to the utility market. We have close to five million meters under contract
today and we expect to double that number by year end."
The Companies
CellNet Data Systems, Inc., with headquarters in San Carlos, Calif., is a market-leading provider of open-architecture fixed-network wireless information services. CellNet networks are the largest of their kind in the world, and enable a wide range of real-time customer information services and applications for the energy industry, including such enhanced energy services as time-of-use pricing, automatic outage and restoration detection. CellNet networks are also designed to serve other Commercial Data Service markets, including business and vending machines. CellNet has contracts or commitments for its network services in the Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis and greater Seattle metro areas, and in Connecticut and the Southwest. CellNet makes examples of the value-added energy information collected over its networks available online at myenergyinfo.com. For more Company information visit cellnet.com.
InfoSpace.com is a leading provider of private label solutions for content and commerce to Web sites and Internet appliances.
InfoSpace.com's affiliate network consists of more than 1,500 Web sites. The Company's affiliates include AOL, Netscape, Microsoft,
Lycos, go2net Inc.'s MetaCrawler, Dow Jones (The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition), ABC LocalNet and CBS's affiliated TV stations.
In addition, InfoSpace.com has agreements with a number of providers of Internet access devices including PCs by Acer America and The
Pixel Company (for Packard Bell NEC), cellular phones by AT&T Wireless and UnWired Planet, pagers by WolfeTech (for Motorola),
screen phones by InfoGear, Mitel, Mitsui and Lucent, television set-top boxes by American Interactive Media , @Home, Lucent, On
Command, Planetweb and Source Media, online kiosks by King kiosk platform and Lexitech kiosk platform, and personal digital assistants by
AT&T Wireless, InfoGear and Unwired Planet.
NOTE: Certain statements contained in this News Release are forward-looking statements, including statements relating to potential Internet
services, functionality, customer use, number of forecasted meter endpoints, potential utility cost savings and Internet service capabilities,
and therefore are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although CellNet is
expecting to provide Internet services to utilities and utility end customers, the timing and amount of service offerings, availability and
customer adoption rate cannot presently be determined. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, including the dependency of
CellNet, in certain cases, on third parties to market their own services and applications and to implement them commercially utilizing
CellNet's networks and including other risk factors set forth in CellNet's most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
In addition, this News Release contains forward-looking statements relating to the development of InfoSpace.com's products and services that
are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. The words "believe,"
"expect," "intend," "anticipate," "potential," variations of such words, and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, but their
absence does not mean that the statement is not forward-looking. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject
to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could affect InfoSpace.com's actual results include the
progress and costs of the development of our products and services and the timing of market acceptance of those products and services. A
more detailed description of certain factors that could affect actual results include, but are not limited to, those discussed in InfoSpace.com's
final prospectus dated Dec. 15, 1998, in the section entitled "Risk Factors." Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. CellNet and InfoSpace.com undertakes no obligation to update
publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the
occurrence of unanticipated events.
SOURCE CellNet Data Systems, Inc.
-0- 03/25/99 /CONTACT: Ellen Keech, 650-508-6011, or Alex Tsigdinos, 650-508-6011, both of CellNet Data Systems; or Joni Hanson,
425-882-1602, or Rebecca Gelinas, 206-443-8004, both of InfoSpace.com/
/Web site: myhomelink.com /Web site: infospace.com /Web site: cellnet.com
(CNDS INSP) |
