PacketVideo and Portal Software Form Alliance to Develop Billing and Customer Management Software for Wireless Multimedia Services
07/26 05:25
CUPERTINO, Calif. & SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 26, 2000--PacketVideo Corporation, a global leader in wireless media technologies for mobile applications, and Portal Software, Inc. (Nasdaq: PRSF), a leading provider of business infrastructure software for Internet and next-generation communications services, today announced an alliance to develop a customer management and billing solution to support wireless multimedia services.
The combined offering, based on Infranet®, Portal's industry-leading customer management and billing platform solution, and PacketVideo's wireless multimedia software, will enable content providers and wireless carriers to capitalize on the value of multimedia content and services delivered over wireless networks.
PacketVideo has developed a carrier-class solution to deliver audio and video over wireless networks to mobile devices such as smart phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Using PacketVideo's innovative technology, mobile users will be able to watch late-breaking news and financial stories, sports highlights, short entertainment clips, weather and traffic reports, views from live cameras, or even participate in a videoconference, wirelessly.
As part of the Portal/PacketVideo agreement, PacketVideo will develop customer management and billing interfaces for its server platform that integrate with Portal's Infranet. The result will be a complete solution for the delivery of full-motion video to consumers, enabling wireless service providers to deploy new, innovative high-value premium services with flexible pricing plans. Through the use of Infranet, content providers can utilize a new distribution channel and realize new revenue opportunities for their premium content.
"Now that wireless technology is moving beyond cellular phones, we are beginning to see an explosion of services and PacketVideo is leading the market in developing a carrier-class wireless multimedia platform," said John Janetos, director of Strategic Alliances at Portal Software. "By teaming with Portal, PacketVideo is extending its leadership position and continuing in its forward-thinking approach by providing the tools carriers will need to profit from wireless media technologies."
"Portal brings significant expertise in delivering real-time, flexible, customer management and billing platforms," said Ed Knapp, senior vice president of wireless distribution for PacketVideo. "To be successful, PacketVideo must offer its customers reliable, scalable billing solutions capable of meeting the demands of dynamic wireless environments. We are very pleased to be working with Portal to achieve this goal."
Portal delivers the industry's only comprehensive real-time customer management and billing platform capable of supporting the burgeoning wireless Internet business environment. Through the use of Infranet, content providers can rate services on specific metrics such as per video clip, conference session or photo -- moving beyond "flat rate" billing models to open the door to new revenue-generating opportunities.
Through the use of Infranet, delivery of wireless services is simplified all along the value chain, from content provider through service provider to subscriber. Infranet can manage all the billing and remittances for high-speed data automatically with its highly flexible real-time rating and billing capabilities. The open APIs, inherent in Infranet, enable service providers to integrate Infranet with their existing billing systems to provide a complete range of billing services.
About PacketVideo
PacketVideo is the global leader in wireless media technologies for mobile applications. The company's award-winning MPEG-4 compliant encoding, distribution, and decoding software enables content providers and carriers to deliver rich media, not just data, to mobile users anytime, anywhere over any digital wireless network. PacketVideo was recently included in the Red Herring 100 as one of fifty private companies whose products, services, or business models are most likely to change the world.
Founded in 1998, PacketVideo is based in San Diego, California, in the heart of "Telecom Valley." The company's investors include Credit Suisse First Boston, Intel Capital (Nasdaq: INTC), Nexus Group LLC, Philips (NYSE: PHG), QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), Reuters Group PLC (Nasdaq: RTRSY), members of the Rockefeller family, Siemens Mustang Ventures, Sonera (HEX:SRA, Nasdaq: SNRA), Sony Corporation of America, Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), and others. To learn more, visit www.packetvideo.com.
About Portal
Portal Software, Inc., is building business infrastructure for the Internet. Based in Cupertino, Calif., Portal is the leading provider of customer management and billing software for Internet and emerging, next-generation communications services. The company's real-time solution enables service providers to manage customers, support services and collect money. Portal's customers include US WEST, Qwest Communications, Covad, T-Online, France Telecom, Demon and Juno. Information about Portal and its products can be found at portal.com.
Note to Editors: Infranet is a U.S. registered trademark, and Portal Software, the Portal logo, and Infranet are trademarks of Portal Software, Inc. All statements made in this press release are made only as of the date set forth at the beginning of this release. Portal undertakes no obligation to update the information in the event facts or circumstances subsequently change. |
