from the dept. BARCELONA, Spain, May 10, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT) is once again proving its leadership in the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) mobile data arena with a world first demonstration of mobile e-commerce using the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) over a live GPRS network. Delegates from GSM network operators around the world could make a date at the Motorola's Network Solutions Sector (NSS) technical symposium `Expanding Horizons', using Motorola's complete end-to-end GPRS network solution. Using Motorola's concept mobile ticketing solution, delegates at the Barcelona event can purchase tickets to local entertainment using Motorola's WAP-enabled GPRS handsets and wireless Internet GPRS network. Motorola, together with several partners including ticketingsolutions.com and Invisix(TM), the Motorola/Cisco joint venture, have implemented a complete intelligent wireless Internet solution for the Barcelona event. The system acts as a reverse auction agent that seeks out the best options, from a range of preferred suppliers, and informs the user directly via mobile phone of the choices available based on their criteria. The system provides the option for instant booking confirmation, via the mobile handset and secure e-commerce technology. Simple, secure, live transactions, with automatic credit card payment on transaction confirmation. "For the end user, the combination of these enablers and GPRS represents a leap forward in harnessing the benefits of the mobile Internet," said Moe Grzelakowski, senior vice president and general manager of Strategic Marketing for Motorola NSS. The system gives consumers the freedom to enter in their preferences and personal information on a web based portal and personalisation engine, and then to be informed when a solution matching those requirements is identified by the intelligent system. Details are sent straight to the mobile terminal for confirmation. "This gives the consumer the ultimate in control and information flow and takes best advantage of GPRS, which provides a virtual permanent connection. Although this is a proof of concept demonstration, the basic architecture can be made into a robust and carrier grade solution for our operators, giving them the competitive edge in their market," said Grzelakowski. The solution can benefit operators by providing added value to the service proposition by potentially reducing churn and increasing average revenue per user. To deliver the demonstration solution, Motorola teamed with ticketingsolutions.com, a leading ASP provider of ticket sales solutions in Europe. Ticketingsolutions.com is already live in the UK, Benelux and Spain, and is expanding rapidly across Europe with a range of innovative solutions for those venues who want a complete e-commerce solution for ticket sales. "As people's lifestyles change, so too must the technology that supports their needs. Through this demonstration, Motorola can showcase the benefits of providing mobile access to thousands of venues and events across Europe whenever and wherever required. The power of WAP is its ability to provide consumers with information immediately that is directly related to their location. This is an important development for the leisure industry because it is more convenient for consumers," said Matthew Hare, managing director of ticketingsolutions.com. "In the future, we can see our customers updating event information directly from Motorola's WAP-enabled wireless devices. And the consumer will be able to receive personalised alerts on their phones from their favourite venues to remind them about an event they have booked or bookmarked, all at the touch of a button," said Hare. About Motorola Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communications solutions and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 1999 were $33.1 billion. For more information on Motorola, please visit www.motorola.com About ticketingsolutions.com Ticketingsolutions.com was launched by eCommerce specialist Community Internet plc in September 1999. Consumers can already buy tickets for racing at Royal Ascot, entry to nightclubs, or the front row at the Circus. The venues rent this eCommerce application, paying a small fee per booking. Ticketingsolutions.com provides a full online management environment for the venues, a single point of contact for all service issues and a modular product portfolio that can be customised to meet their needs. Venues and event organisers worldwide can turn their websites into money-making e-commerce ventures in minutes by registering on: www.ticketingsolutions.com. About GPRS Aspira(TM) Architecture With GPRS, which is Phase 1 of Motorola's new AspiraTM communications architecture vision, the path to 3G will be seamless. New services can be added quickly and the end-to-end user experience will be exceptional. The Aspira communications architecture vision from Motorola combines voice, data and multimedia into one broadband IP-based network. This total end-to-end network solution encompasses transport networks, applications, services and endpoint devices. Visit the Aspira website at www.motorola.com/aspira For more information on Invisix, please visit: www.invisix-now.com Technology Notes GPRS - General Packet Radio Service GPRS, which has been standardized by ETSI as part of the GSM Phase 2+ development, represents the first implementation of packet switching within GSM, which is essentially a circuit-switched technology. Rather than sending a continuous stream of data over a permanent connection, packet switching only utilizes the network when there is data to be sent. The implementation of GPRS will bring tremendous benefits to GSM network operators. It brings IP capability to the GSM network for the first time and enables connection to a wide range of public and private data networks using industry standard data protocols such as TCP/IP and X.25. GPRS is extremely efficient in its use of scarce spectrum resources and enables GSM operators to introduce a wide range of value added services for market differentiation. GPRS is ideal for "bursty" type data applications such as email or Internet access, and can also enable "virtual permanent connection" to data sources, allowing information to arrive rather than being sought. This cannot be achieved using standard circuit-switched networks. By upgrading their networks to GPRS, existing GSM operators will have third generation (3G) capable networks, as UMTS will use packet switching technology. An early move to GPRS can reduce the eventual investment needed to make the transition to 3G. For more information on Motorola's GPRS solution, please visit: http://horizongprs.motorola.com WAP - Wireless Application Protocol WAP is a technology designed to provide users of mobile terminals with rapid and efficient access to the Internet. WAP is a protocol optimized, not only for use on the narrow band radio channels used by second generation digital wireless systems, but also for the limited display capabilities and functionality of the display systems used by today's mobile terminals. WAP integrates telephony services with microbrowsing and enables easy-to-use interactive Internet access from the mobile handset. Typical WAP applications include over-the-air e-commerce transactions, on-line banking, information provisioning and messaging. WAP will enable operators to develop innovative services to provide differentiation in competitive market environments. Motorola is a registered trademark and Aspira and Invisix are trademarks of Motorola, Inc. All other brands or corporate names are trademarks of their respective owners. Distributed via COMTEX. Copyright (C) 2000 Business Wire. All rights reserved. -0- CONTACT: Motorola Beth Sharples, GSM: + 44 (0) 802 367 639
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