ATLANTA, OWINGS MILLS, Md. & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 6,
2000--
Companies to Develop
Wireless Financial Services in US & Europe
S1 Corporation (Nasdaq:SONE.O), a leading global provider of
eFinance solutions and services, and Aether Systems, Inc.
(Nasdaq:AETH.O), the leading provider of wireless data products and
services, today announced that the companies have signed a multi-year,
global agreement to jointly develop, integrate, deploy and support a
suite of wireless data access and transaction services for financial
services providers. In addition, S1 has signed a parallel agreement
with SILA Communications, a company formed by Aether and Reuters Group
to provide wireless data services in Europe and Asia.
Under the terms of the agreements, Aether and SILA will serve as
the strategic worldwide providers of wireless software and enablement
services to S1 and its subsidiaries, VerticalOne and Q UP. By
partnering with Aether and SILA, S1 will be able to offer its 900
worldwide financial services customers the ability to extend their
eFinance capabilities to a full range of wireless devices, including
web-enabled phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and pagers. S1
customers will gain access to the network operations and data centers
operated by Aether and SILA, which provide connectivity to the major
wireless networks, application hosting and development and customer
care. These features will be rolled out through the entire S1 product
offering, with availability targeted for fourth quarter 2000.
S1 will become the preferred partner for Aether's Personal
Commerce Portal, an offering from Aether and its corporate partners
that provides a series of financial services and applications
accessible via handheld wireless devices. Through this portal, users
will be able to conduct a variety of financial transactions, including
bill payments, person-to-person payments, point of sale transactions,
on-line shopping and banking transactions, and gain access to other
personalized financial information.
"As industry analysts have predicted, the demand for wireless
access to financial services is rapidly increasing. By aligning with
industry leaders like Aether and SILA, we are continuing to equip our
customers with mobile eFinance solutions that enable them to
capitalize on the opportunities that this trend affords, " said Chip
Mahan, CEO of S1 Corporation. "Many solutions on the market today
require financial services providers to negotiate and connect with all
major carriers independently. Through this partnership, S1 customers
will be able to deliver robust wireless services quickly and
efficiently to meet the needs of their entire user base."
As a result of the agreement signed by S1 and Aether, S1
subsidiary VerticalOne will play a key role in the development of
Aether's Personal Commerce Portal strategy by providing eFinance
aggregation services, which allow a user to view a range of financial
data at one time. The agreement is complementary to S1's subsidiary,
Edify, which offers an on-premise wireless Internet solution to
worldwide financial institutions, including ANZ Bank, Daiwa Bank, Bank
of Greece and National InterBank (USA).
"Partnering with S1 strengthens our position as a leading provider
of wireless products and services to the financial industry and
provides us with access to S1's extensive client base of banking
institutions worldwide. The agreement between S1 and SILA
Communications ensures that this truly is a global deal," said David
S. Oros, Chairman and CEO of Aether Systems and Chairman of SILA
Communications. "Establishing a greater presence in the world of
online financial services is part of Aether's vision of a personal
commerce portal."
About Aether Systems
Aether Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of wireless and mobile
data products and services allowing real-time communications and
transactions across a full range of devices and networks. Using its
engineering expertise, the ScoutWare(TM) family of products including
the Aether Intelligent Messaging (AIM) software platform, and its
network operations and customer care center, Aether seeks to provide
comprehensive, technology-independent wireless and mobile computing
solutions. Aether develops and delivers wireless data services across
a variety of industries and market segments in the United States and
internationally. For more information, please visit
www.aethersystems.com.
About SILA Communications
SILA Communications, headquartered in London, is a venture between
Aether Systems (60% owner) a leading provider of wireless applications
and Reuters (40%) the worldwide financial information provider. In the
new company, Aether Systems has contributed $15 million cash and its
recent $85 million acquisition of IFX Group, Europe's biggest provider
of mobile financial data. Reuters has contributed $22 million cash and
its wireless applications company Futures Pager, owner of mini-Reuters
a professional portable information system. Through IFX and Futures
Pagers, SILA has a significant corporate structure in place in Europe
and Asia with offices in the UK, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany,
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Singapore. Sila
technology operates over European GSM wireless networks as well as the
next generation high-speed networks including GPRS and UMTS.
About S1 Corporation
S1 (Nasdaq:SONE.O), the pioneer of Internet banking, is one of
today's leading global providers of innovative Internet-based
financial services solutions. S1 offers a broad range of applications
that empower financial organizations to increase revenue, strengthen
customer relationships and gain competitive advantage by meeting the
evolving needs of their customers across various lines of business,
market segments and delivery channels. Through its professional
services organization, S1's applications can be implemented in-house
or outsourced to the S1 Data Center. Additional information about S1
is available at s1.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements and other matters which are
forward-looking and subject to a number of risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from
expectations. The statements contained in this release that are
forward-looking are based on current expectations and are subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking
statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are in no way
limited to the success of the efforts to develop the products
described in this press release and the acceptance of those products
in the marketplace. These risks and other risk factors are described
from time to time in public announcements and filings with the SEC of
Aether and S1 including their annual reports on Form 10-K for the year
ended Dec. 31, 1999.
In addition, nothing in the press release should be viewed as an
update or comment on earlier forward looking statements provided by
Aether or S1 Corporation. As noted above, because actual results,
performance or developments may differ materially from forward-looking
statements, neither Aether nor S1 undertakes any obligation to update
such statements over the course of future periods.
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CONTACT: Greg Abel
Aether Systems
410-654-6400 ext. 5189
gabel@aethersystems.com
or
Tracey Frederickson
Sterling Hager, Inc. for S1 Corporation
617-926-6665 ext. 327
tfrederickson@sterlinghager.com
or
SILA Communications
Emma Hibbett/ Catherine Griffiths
Key Communications
Tel: +44 20 7580 0222
emmah@keycommunications.co.uk
or
Erich Shea
The Weber Group for Aether Systems
703-351-5605
eshea@webergroup.com
or
Marcy Theobald
Investor Relations for S1 Corporation
404-812-6254
marcy.theobald@s1.com
or
Gregg Lamps
Investor Relations for Aether Systems
401-654-6400 ext. 5165
glamps@aethersystems.com
KEYWORD: GEORGIA MARYLAND INTERNATIONAL EUROPE
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS TELECOMMUNICATIONS
INTERNET BANKING SOFTWARE
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