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OPENWAVE ANNOUNCES COMMERCIAL AVAILABILITY OF WAP-CERTIFIED MOBILE PHONES USING UP.BROWSER MICROBROWSER Microbrowser Now Supports Secure Download and Location-Based Services REDWOOD CITY, Calif. November 30, 2000 Openwave Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: OPWV), the combination of Phone.com and Software.com, announced today commercial availability of WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)-certified mobile phones containing its enhanced UP.Browser TM microbrowser, which now includes support for location-based services and secure download of consumer content and over-the-air-provisioning data. Although recent reports have cited limited availability of WAP GSM handsets in Europe, the Gartner research predicts that by June 30, 2001 the global wireless Internet community can expect to see a total of almost 100 million WAP-enabled handsets in the GSM market. "Handset supply had been a major constraint impairing adoption of WAP in the GSM market. said Peter Richardson, Principal Analyst, Dataquest Mobile Communications at Gartner. However, handset availability should become less of an issue going forward; by the end of June 2001, Gartners Dataquest expects more than 100 million WAP-compliant GSM handsets to have been sold to the final consumer worldwide. To date, fourteen of the twenty WAP Certified handsets contain Openwaves software, including handsets from Motorola and Alcatel. Increased WAP handset supply coupled with consumer-oriented microbrowser enhancements can add up to increased satisfaction for both the wireless operator and consumer alike. The latest version of the Openwave TM UP.Browser microbrowser (version 4.1) features the Secure Download Agent (SDA) that works in conjunction with Openwaves Mobile Management Server (MMS) and the Mobile Location Server (MLS) announced earlier this year by Phone.com. The MLS is designed to enable wireless service providers to offer Internet-based applications to subscribers using information specific to the current location of the users handset. The location enhancements to UP.Browser provide a unique ability for requesting and sending handset-based location data over a secure channel to the Openwave MLS. The Openwave MMS is designed to allow secure download and management of data and content in handsets. The primary use of MMS is to help network operators reduce operating costs by enabling them to perform over-the-air provisioning and management of specific software settings and configurations of mobile phone handsets over the life of the phone. Another key use of Openwave MMS is secure, billable download of entertainment-related content to handsets. The newly developed SDA module of the Openwave UP.Browser allows handset manufacturers to easily support this secure download of both types of data network-related data for reduced network operating costs and entertainment data allowing operators to provide the entertainment-oriented applications that have been proven to be successful in Japan. . Hutchison Telecoms Orangeworld Service in Hong Kong is deploying Sanyo C304SA wireless handsets, which use Openwaves WAP microbrowser with the SDA feature that allows users to customize their phones by downloading a selection of new ring tones and melodies. Clipart images and animations, as well as uploaded digital images provided by the user can also be sent to the handset to be used like screen savers on PCs, but referred to as wallpaper, when the phone is on, but idle. It is anticipated that a large number of WAP-based applications will emerge that are optimized for these unique capabilities. There are already over 180,000 registered developers using the Openwave UP.SDK TM to create exciting and practical applications for the wireless Internet market. As of September 30, 2000, Openwave reported commercial relationships with over 40 handset manufacturers, with the UP.Browser being ported to over 200 phone models. There are over 36 million mobile phones in use with the UP.Browser. About Openwave Openwave Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: OPWV), the combination of Phone.com and Software.com, is the worldwide leader of open Internet-based communication infrastructure software and applications. Openwave is a global company headquartered in Redwood City, California. For more information, please visit www.openwave.com. This release contains forward-looking statements relating to expectations, plans or prospects for Openwave Systems Inc. that are based upon the current expectations and beliefs of Openwaves management and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward looking statements. In particular, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: (a) the ability to realize our strategic objectives by taking advantage of market opportunities in the Americas, Europe and the Middle including East and Asia; (b) competition and technological changes and developments; and (c) general risks of the Internet and wireless and wireline telecommunications sectors.
For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements, please refer to the risk factors discussed in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including but not limited to Phone.coms and Software.coms respective Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2000, Phone.coms and Software.coms most recently filed Annual Reports on Form 10-K, and Phone.coms registration statement on Form S-4 as declared effective on September 28, 2000. All documents also are available through the SECs Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov or from Openwaves Web site at www.openwave.com. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements included in this document.
Openwave, the Openwave logo and the family of terms carrying the UP. prefix are trademarks of Openwave Systems Inc. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.
For more information please contact:
Openwave Systems, Inc. Rowan Benecke PR21 +1 (415) 369 8102
[email protected]
Openwave (Europe) Limited Chris Cartwright Bite Communications Ltd. +44 20 8600 6729
[email protected]
Openwave Japan K.K. Masaaki Yamamoto Openwave Japan K.K. +81 3 5325 9703
[email protected]
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