McLEAN, Virginia (February 8, 1999) ¾ Nextel Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXTL), along with Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT), Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:NSCP) and Unwired Planet,? today announced the Nextel Online* family of wireless Internet computing 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* -- 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, consumers 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,* 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™ 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.
"The Internet is the future of business communications, and Motorola's i1000plus handset for iDEN networks will make this future accessible to users across the nation. The i1000plus is the first integrated digital wireless handset to enable wireless Internet access for users," said Bo Hedfors, senior vice president of Motorola's Network Solution Sector.
The microbrowser technology in the Nextel phones will utilize Unwired Planet's client software and the UP.Link™ 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 starting in April. The wireless modem dial-up capability is expected to be available by mid-year with the mobile IP testing starting in six cities (Washington DC, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Greensboro, NC and Atlanta) during that same time frame. We expect to follow successful testing with a 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.
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