Sonera zed To Launch Mobile chatting and other WAP Services At PCIA GlobalXchange 2000
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 26, 2000--
Integrated WAP Services To Include a Full Suite of Easy to Use
Services For the Young Trendsetter and Mobile Professional
Sonera zed u.s., inc. is launching its WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) services today at PCIA GlobalXchange 2000, booth #3748, in Chicago.
Sonera zed, a subsidiary of Sonera Corporation (Nasdaq: SNRA), is a pioneer in global personalized intelligent services for wireless devices combining the best features of mobile communications and the Internet. Zed's WAP services will be commercially available in the first quarter of 2001.
Zed's WAP offering is designed to simplify and enhance consumer lives. Zed allows a personalized and seamless access to relevant services through its intuitive and easy-to-use navigation. Users can customize menus, set personal profiles and receive personalized alerts. The most unique feature is zed's capability to pass relevant content from one application to the other, i.e. the address of a restaurant from Zagat can be added to user's contact book or designated as the end point for driving directions. The review can then be sent to a friend as a recommendation.
"Our goal in designing our WAP offering has been to seamlessly integrate various applications and therefore reduce the number of key strokes required to achieve desired functionalities," said Ilkka Aura, Vice President Product and Strategy.
For the carrier, zed provides a one-stop shop for providing these services to end-users. This includes the compelling content services (such as Zagat's Guide, Fodor's Hotel Guide and Warner/Chappell Music ringing tones), technology platform and implementation.
"WAP services will help to increase mobile phone adoption in the U.S.," said Sohrab Torabi, m-Commerce Analyst at Datamonitor. "PC-based Internet access has become mainstream. WAP-enabled services will be the bridge for consumers to experience true functionality with their wireless devices."
All of zed's WAP services have been designed to integrate with other zed tools. For example, users can access and store personal information in the contact book. In addition, zed provides a history function, allowing one to save previously referenced information for future use, i.e. driving directions to a restaurant.
"Our WAP offering allows you to organize your time, manage your relationships and keep yourself informed while on the move," said Paul Hughes, COO of Sonera zed U.S. "The introduction of WAP services is just the beginning of zed's offering in the U.S. We fully expect to leverage our experience with consumer needs to continually introduce new value-added services such as tailored offerings for the young trendsetter and the mobile professional."
The following WAP services will be demonstrated at PCIA GlobalXchange 2000:
-- Mobile communities - zed connects mobile chat users in touch with other users, allowing users to create their own communities with others that have a common interest or connection.
-- Entertainment - Jokes, trivia, horoscopes and games.
-- Information Services - Personalized information such as news headlines, weather, sports, stocks, traffic reports and driving directions.
-- Planning - Contact book, history and alerts.
-- Travel - Access flight arrival and departure schedules tracked by flight number, city, date and time. Schedule change alerts are also sent to the handset.
-- Find - Search for a person, business, restaurant or hotel.
About Sonera zed
zed is a global pioneer in personalized intelligent services for wireless devices combining the best features of mobile communications and the Internet. zed was conceived, designed and built to support and promote true mobility in both consumer and corporate environments. The range of zed services turn the wireless device into a communications, information and mobile commerce tool. Currently zed services are available in WAP and SMS environments, with the ability to expand the services into future technologies, GPRS and UMTS. At the end of June 2000, zed had over 700,000 monthly users out of Sonera's 2.2 million GSM customers in Finland. Of these active zed customers, 30% had registered at zed's Finnish website in order to personalize their services. Sonera zed ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sonera Corporation (HEX: SRA; NASDAQ: SNRA, www.sonera.com). zed's US headquarters are in Boston, MA, with global headquarters in the UK. More information on zed can be found at zed.com.
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