CellStar Corporation and Sundial Form
Alliance to Support Internet Sales Of Wireless
Products and Services
PR Newswire - October 26, 2000 10:20
CARROLLTON, Texas, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- CellStar Corporation
(Nasdaq: CLST) today announced that it has entered into a joint marketing and
service agreement with Sundial Marketplace Corporation (Sundial) to provide
United Kingdom consumers and small businesses with a comprehensive
selection of phones and airtime tariffs over the Internet. The Internet site, found
at wire3.sundial.com, went live on October 1. In addition to enabling the
purchase of mobile phones and accessories, the site links to the CellStar (UK)
WAP portal (http://www.wire3.net) that provides open access to all mobile
Internet sites and offers a sophisticated mobile e-mail solution. All phones sold
through the Internet site will be programmed to access this site.
Under the terms of the agreement, CellStar (UK) Ltd. will use the Sundial.com
platform, specifically adapted for the UK market, to offer mobile phones,
accessories and airtime talk plans to consumers and small businesses. CellStar
(UK) will provide customer service, fulfillment and airtime activation activities,
and will supply products ordered on the site to customers on a next day basis.
Sundial will manage and operate the underlying Internet-based computer
system that provides customers with information on phone features and tariff
options and processes subsequent orders. Although initially set up as a B2C
(business-to-consumer) offering, CellStar plans to offer the service to its
independent dealer network as a platform for supporting their own
e-commerce initiatives.
Sundial simplifies the purchasing process for telecommunications products and
services through its marketplace application that enables consumers and small
businesses to compare the prices and features of various wireless handsets,
accessories and wireless service plans, and then to transact purchases online.
Sundial's web site application has been seamlessly integrated with CellStar's
AOS ON-LINE(SM) ordering system, using an XML-based (eXtensible
Mark-up Language) exchange that enables disparate software systems to
communicate with one another over the Internet. This integrated approach
provides a high degree of flexibility in communicating inventory availability,
order placement and order tracking on a real-time basis. This combination has
already been used both in the US and in the UK to integrate CellStar's activities
with the systems of a number of major e-tailers, retailers and dealer partners.
"The launch of the Sundial platform in the UK further extends the value- added
services we offer to consumers, our network of independent dealers and the
leading manufacturers and carriers," said Bryan Semple, managing director of
CellStar (UK) Ltd. "Through our comprehensive fulfillment offerings, we
provide world-class customer service, which we believe will differentiate us
from our competition. We are at the beginning of an exciting time for the UK
mobile phone industry with a variety of new products and services becoming
available. This initiative allows us to get those new products to market more
quickly and to provide consumers with the information they need to make an
informed decision in an ever-increasingly complex wireless world."
"Sundial and CellStar (UK) are pioneering an outstanding system for the
distribution and fulfillment of products and services in the UK mobile phone
industry," said Michael Cooley, chief operations officer and executive vice
president of Sundial Marketplace Corporation. "By using an integrated web-
based application, Sundial and CellStar have created a lower cost order
processing and product distribution system that will allow savings to be passed
along to wireless consumers. Sundial will continue to support CellStar (UK) in
offering best-in-class wireless content and e-commerce solutions that will
educate and empower consumers and businesses to purchase mobile products,
air-time tariffs and value-added wireless applications through
wire3.sundial.com."
About Sundial
Based in the Silicon Alley section of New York City, Sundial offers end-to-end
wireless telecommunications solutions via the Web. Sundial's advanced
technology platform is linked to leading vendors and service providers in over
23,000 cities and towns across the US, enabling customers to easily research,
configure, and purchase customized wireless solutions online -- including
equipment, services, and content applications. Additionally, the company's
Web-based provisioning engine is widely used by leading retail and online
companies, offering completely transparent order fulfillment and management
capabilities. Sundial is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Essential.com. For more
information, visit Sundial at sundial.com.
About CellStar
CellStar Corporation is a leading global provider of distribution and
value-added logistics services to the wireless communications industry, with
operations in Asia-Pacific, North America, Latin America and Europe. CellStar
facilitates the effective and efficient distribution of handsets and related
accessories and other wireless products from leading manufacturers to network
operators, agents, resellers, dealers and retailers. In many of its markets,
CellStar provides activation services that generate new subscribers for its
wireless carrier customers. For the year ended November 30, 1999, the
Company generated revenues of $2.3 billion. Additional information about
CellStar may be found on its web site at cellstar.com. CellStar
(UK) Ltd. became CellStar Corporation's first European operation in 1996
and has expanded rapidly to become one of the UK's leading distributors of
mobile phones, accessories and other mobile communication products and
services. Based in Trafford Park, Manchester, in a new purpose- built
distribution centre, CellStar (UK) offers a variety of value-added and unique
services to service providers, distributors, and retailers. Additional information
about CellStar UK may be found on its web site at cellstar.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements, as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. A variety of risk factors,
including changes in foreign laws, regulations and tariffs, new technologies,
system implementation difficulties, competition, handset shortages or overages
and other risk factors, are discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form
10-K and most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which are on file with
the SEC. Any combination of these risk factors could cause CellStar's actual
results to vary materially from anticipated results or other expectations
expressed in the Company's forward-looking statements.
SOURCE CellStar Corporation
/CONTACT: Austin P. Young, 972-466-5031, or Stephen P. Adams,
972-466-5467, both of CellStar Corporation; or general, Bob Schwaller,
972-830-2295, or analysts, Kristine Walczak, 312-640-6723, or media,
Maxine
Levy, 972-830-2123, all of Financial Relations Board for CellStar
Corporation;
or Leora Schachter, 212-201-4364, or media, Joe Palladino, 781-229-9599,
both
of Sundial Marketplace Corporation/
/Web site: cellstar.com
sundial.com
essential.com
wire3.net
wire3.sundial.com
cellstar.com /
(CLST) |
