Nextel Teams with Motorola, Netscape and Unwired Planet to Offer Wireless Internet Services on Its Guaranteed All-Digital National Network
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Nextel Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTL - news), along with Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT - news), Netscape Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: NSCP - news) and Unwired Planet, today announced the Nextel Online(SM) family of wireless Internet services. These services are designed to combine and leverage the power of the Internet and the Nextel National Network to bring integration of wireless voice, data and messaging while extending Internet services and applications to Nextel customers.
''This is a giant step for Nextel and the first step for the industry in bringing about the convergence between mobile voice and data services with the Internet,'' said Dan Akerson, chairman and CEO, Nextel Communications, Inc. ''The introduction of these wireless Internet computing services complements the power of our unique digital two-way radio feature -- Nextel Direct Connect(SM) -- by enabling mobile users to send and receive information in real time and update time sensitive mission critical business information.''
Nextel is teaming with Netscape to deliver a wireless Internet portal called Nextel Online to extend the power of the Internet to Nextel mobile customers nationwide. Nextel Online will be built with a combination of Netscape Custom Netcenter and Netscape's E-commerce infrastructure and application software. Custom Netcenter is the first hosted enterprise software solution that combines Internet portal content and services with custom business applications -- empowering businesses to create their own portals that can attract and retain customers.
Through a standard PC-browser, customers can access Nextel Online's personalized services including stock quotes, weather and business headlines and Nextel Internet-based services. Behind the scenes, Netscape E-Commerce applications provide the foundation for Nextel's new Internet-based services, including an on-line store, billing and order fulfillment, Nextel Business Network member directory, two-way radio communications and security.
''Netscape Custom Netcenter and Netscape E-commerce software enable Nextel to deliver the next wave of portals. Only Netscape provides a full platform that empowers telecommunications companies to deliver the products and services their customers want and need,'' said Jim Barksdale, president and chief executive officer of Netscape. ''Nextel Online wireless Internet portal offers Internet-based services, extends communities of interest such as Nextel Business Networks(SM), and will enable Nextel customers to access their account information, bills, services and get online technical support.''
Nextel is using Netscape® Directory Server software to build both the Nextel Business Network, where wireless users can search for other members; Netscape® Messaging Server software to deliver wireless electronic mail services; Netscape Application Server software as a platform to develop and deploy customer self-service applications; and Netscape® CommerceXpert application software to build a Nextel Online store. Using Netscape Directory Server software as the foundation for Internet security, Nextel will enable single sign-on to all of the Nextel Online applications so users only have to log on once to access the full range of applications available.
The Nextel Online Internet-based applications will initially be wirelessly enabled through the existing short messaging service features of the phone and will shortly be complemented with wireless modem dial-up capabilities and mobile Internet Protocol (IP)-based services.
''Over half of existing wireless users are interested in sending and receiving data when they are mobile,'' said Mark Lowenstein, senior vice president of the Yankee Group's Wireless/Mobile Communications practice. ''We believe corporations will increasingly require that mobile workers have seamless access to the Internet and corporate intranets in order to be competitive.''
With the launch of the Motorola i1000plus(TM) handset expected in mid- 1999, Nextel will uniquely meet the needs of these mobile workers with advanced wireless connectivity through the first integrated handset to support Internet access. Designed to have both mobile IP and wireless modem dial-up functionality, the i1000plus handset will integrate the popular iDEN capabilities of a digital wireless phone, digital two-way radio, text/numeric pager and a newly integrated Internet microbrowser providing access to information and communications anytime, anywhere on the Nextel National Network.
The i1000plus handset will be the first in a family of IP capable iDEN handsets allowing for integration of voice, data and messaging services supporting a wide array of Internet and intranet applications. Concurrent with the handset launch, Nextel will offer a national mobile dial-up solution using a Nextel phone (as a wireless modem dial-up functionality) and a standard laptop or handheld computer. For example, users sitting in an airport or at a client's site will be able to link their standard laptop computer or personal digital assistant (PDA) to a Nextel phone to obtain dial- up access to their corporate information network. This remote capability will permit the user to access that network to send or receive time-critical information such as a sales proposal document, field service report, an e-mail or look-up the availability of a spare part in an inventory database. This feature will allow a customer to extend their office network to the field by improving access to more in-depth information in real-time without using a separate fixed modem or a wireline remote connection.
Nextel and Motorola have worked closely over the past several years to develop and test a mobile IP network capability using iDEN® technology. The companies have designed a packet data network to support the standard IP suite of protocols which are the basis for the rapidly growing Internet.
''Motorola is dedicated to enabling wireless access to the Internet and we are excited to be at the forefront of bringing mobile IP solutions to customers,'' said Bo Hedfors, senior vice president of Motorola, Inc. and president the Network Solutions Sector.
The microbrowser technology in the Nextel phones will utilize Unwired Planet's client software and the UP.Link(TM) Platform. This will bring real- time two-way interactive messaging functionality and Internet content access to Nextel's data capable phones. With Nextel's IP capable mobile wireless digital handsets enabled with microbrower technology, Nextel customers will be able to access Web-based information services, e-mail, and networked applications, with time-critical and customized information delivered directly to the screen of their Nextel phone (without the need to connect to another computing device).
''A robust and flexible wireless Internet platform will be a key ingredient of Nextel's wireless portal strategy. We're excited about providing UP technology to help Nextel satisfy millions of subscribers on the first national digital mobile IP network,'' said Alain Rossmann, chairman and chief executive officer of Unwired Planet. ''We applaud the leadership of Nextel and Netscape in their mission to extend Nextel Online services to reach every Nextel subscriber.''
''We are very excited about our partners and applications and plan a phased roll-out of these services beginning in second quarter 1999 with the launch of Nextel Online web services. The wireless modem dial-up capability is expected to be available by third quarter 1999 and the wireless Internet capability is expected to be rolled out in six cities (Washington DC, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Greensboro, NC and Atlanta) in the fourth quarter 1999. And, we expect to continue with our national roll-out in the first quarter of 2000,'' said Tom Kelly, Nextel's chief marketing officer. ''Additionally, we have established a Developers Program to facilitate the development of products and applications outside of Nextel. This program will provide technical support and training to enable third-party companies to develop applications for Nextel customers compatible with our network. Lastly, Nextel is also very proud to announce that is has joined the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Forum.''
'Safe Harbor' Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995:
A number of the matters and subject areas discussed in this press release
that are not historical or current facts deal with potential future
circumstances and developments. The mobile computing services, wireless
Internet access and related new products discussed above are all new offerings
that are planned for commercial introduction in the near future. As such,
they remain subject to risks and delays of product and services offerings in
pre-commercialization stages such as the successful completion of further
development and implementation and system integration activities required to
be completed before commercial introduction can occur. Such new product and
service offerings, when commercially introduced, also may be subject to
coverage and capacity limitations in certain geographic areas and the
Nextel National Network. The discussion of such matters and subject areas is
qualified by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future
expectations concerning Nextel's digital mobile network business generally.
Customer acceptance and/or commercial viability of such new product and
service offerings will be dependent on a variety of factors, including the
development and availability of related products and applications that meet
customer needs and preferences, the quality and reliability of the applicable
services and products, and Nextel's ability to employ these new product and
service offerings either to reduce its own costs or to price such offerings to
obtain the satisfactory return on investments. Nextel has attempted to
identify, in context, certain of the factors that it currently believes may
cause actual future experience and results in its digital mobile network
business (including, if and when commercially introduced, the new product and
service offerings discussed above) to differ from Nextel's current
expectations regarding such relevant matters or subject areas, and such risks
and uncertainties are described from time to time in Nextel's reports filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Nextel's Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1997 and the Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 1998, June 30, 1998 and
September 30, 1998.
Unwired Planet, Inc., headquartered in Silicon Valley, is a leading international supplier of open standards-based servers and microbrowsers to the wireless industry. The UP.Link Platform enables mass-market mobile phones running UP.Browser(TM) to access Internet- and intranet-based applications and services, quickly and cost efficiently. Commercially available since 1996, the UP.Link solution is a proven gateway and applications platform that offers interactive live access to a wide variety of existing information services and value-added telephony applications, including e-mail, voicemail, personal organizer and electronic customer care. Please visit uplanet.com for more information.
Motorola is a global leader in advanced electronic systems and services. It liberates the power of technology by creating software-enhanced products that provide integrated customer solutions and Internet access via wireless and satellite communications, as well as computing, networking, and automotive electronics. Motorola also provides essential digital building blocks in the form of embedded semiconductors, controls and systems. Sales in 1998 were $29.4 billion.
Nextel Communications, based in McLean, VA, is the leading provider of fully integrated wireless communications and has built the largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network in the United States that covers 91 of the top 100 U.S. markets. The Nextel National Network offers a fully integrated wireless communications tool with digital cellular, text/numeric paging and Nextel Direct Connect(SM) -- a digital two-way radio feature. In addition, through Nextel International, Inc., Nextel has wireless operations and investments in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, the Philippines, Peru, Japan and Shanghai, China. Please visit our website at nextel.com .
Nextel, the Nextel logo, Nextel Business Networks, Nextel Online and Nextel Direct Connect are trademarks and/or service marks of Nextel Communications, Inc. Motorola, iDEN and i1000plus are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola, Inc. UP.Browser, UP.Link and the Unwired Planet name and logo are trademarks and uplanet.com is a registered trademark of Unwired Planet, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Netscape is a registered trademark, Netcenter and Custom Netcenter are trademarks of Netscape Communications Corp.
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