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VeriSign and MobileSpring Team With Numerex to Deliver Popular Inter-carrier SMS Messaging Services to Wireless Carriers
More carriers can now tap into growing SMS market, gain interoperability capabilities enabling two-way text messaging services for their subscribers
SUPERCOMM 2002 - ATLANTA, JUNE 6, 2002 - VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq:VRSN), the leading provider of digital trust services, and MobileSpring, Inc., a leader in wireless messaging solutions, today announced an agreement to deploy their joint Metcalf Global Messaging solution with Numerex (Nasdaq: NMRX), a leader in wireless data networks and machine-to-machine communications solutions. The solution will be deployed through Numerex's centralized service bureau, Data1Source™. Metcalf Global Messaging (Metcalf GM) bridges CDMA, TDMA, GSM, PDC/I-Mode and other technologies, enabling wireless customers to easily exchange text messages with other wireless subscribers on virtually any digital network - regardless of the carrier - via a common interface and addressing scheme.
Unlike Europe and Asia, where adoption of a single network technology - GSM - created an explosion in text messaging over the past several years, most wireless users in the U.S. were limited to exchanging text messages with other users on the same network.
"Metcalf GM eliminates the interoperability barrier, paving the way for U.S. carriers to tap into enormous growth potential in messaging services," said Terry Kremian, VeriSign's executive vice president of Telecommunications Services. "Interoperability is a stepping stone to more personalized, community-based messaging, providing a foundation for wireless data services that will enable businesses and consumers to communicate what, when, where and how they want."
Carriers in the United Kingdom experienced a 350 percent increase in messaging traffic in the first seven months after interoperability was introduced in April 1999. Major U.S. carriers began deploying inter-carrier messaging in late 2001. A Yankee Group study indicates a 40 percent increase in Short Message Service (SMS) volume growth with interoperability. Aggregate SMS traffic on the Metcalf GM platform has already grown to more than one million messages per day.
"SMS messaging shows great potential for driving subscriber growth, traffic, and revenues, and we are excited to tap into that growth and offer carriers a cost-efficient solution in deploying the same cutting-edge messaging services that the major carriers compete with," said Geoff Girdler, executive vice president of operations, Numerex.
"We are delighted to be working with a leader like Numerex who has successfully built a compelling value proposition in the marketplace," said Paul Hanna, vice president of marketing and product management, MobileSpring.
Metcalf GM, which has also been selected by two of the top four U.S. wireless carriers serving over 38 million subscribers, is capable of supporting carriers' needs today and is fully capable of providing inter-carrier SMS messaging in a number portability environment. In addition, the Metcalf GM solution is compatible with the messaging systems of more than 400 carriers worldwide and supports advanced end-to-end features such as confirmed delivery, validity period, urgency indicator, and message rating capabilities into carrier billing systems. Metcalf GM is deployed on fully redundant hardware managed and supported by VeriSign's carrier-grade, dedicated data center that has been supporting inter-carrier service bureau solutions for more than a decade.
Data1Source provides a cost-effective means of transporting data over digital wireless data networks. Through a centralized service bureau, the Data1Source offering of SMS provides TDMA, CDMA, and GSM wireless data carriers with a broad range of digital services including Web-based and e-mail-based text messaging, SMS Touch-Tone™ paging, subscriber-customized Internet content services such as news headlines, ring tones, sports scores, stock quotes, and other customer-specific information.
VeriSign will be hosting demonstrations of its Metcalf Global Messaging solution this week at the SUPERCOMM communications and IT conference, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, in Booth number 20526.
About Numerex
Numerex (NASDAQ: NMRX) is a technology company comprised of operating
subsidiaries that develop and market a wide range of communications
products and services. The Company's primary focus is wireless data
communications utilizing proprietary network technologies. The Company
offers products and services in wireless communications through Cellemetry®
and Data1Source™ and digital multimedia networking through PowerPlay™.
These services enable customers around the globe to monitor and move
information for a variety of applications from home and business security
to distance learning networks. In addition, Numerex offers wireline
alarm security products and services, as well as telecommunications
network operational support systems. Please visit www.nmrx.com for more news and information.
Statements contained in this press release that are not historical fact as "forward-looking" statements and involve important risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties, which are detailed in Numerex's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, could cause Numerex's results to differ materially from current expectations as expressed in this press release.
About MobileSpring
Established in 2000, and based in New York City, MobileSpring is a developer
of messaging services that enable wireless carriers and other companies
to profit from mobile messaging. MobileSpring's lead product - Metcalf
Global Messaging (Metcalf GM) - was the first intercarrier messaging
system developed to address the unique demands of US carriers, having
operated in live carrier networks since February 2001. By ensuring connectivity
between disparate technologies, Metcalf GM allows wireless carriers
to capture the full revenue potential of mobile messaging. With Metcalf
GM, a carrier's subscriber can exchange text messages with other mobile
phone users on virtually any digital network around the world by simply
addressing the message to the recipient's phone number. Metcalf Global
Messaging is a joint offering of MobileSpring and VeriSign, the largest
outsource provider of advanced signaling and intelligent network services
for the communications industry. For more information see MobileSpring's
Website at www.mobilespring.com.
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) is the leading provider of digital trust
services that enable everyone, everywhere to engage in commerce and
communications with confidence. VeriSign's digital trust services create
a trusted environment through four core offerings—Web presence services,
security services, payment services, and telecommunications services—powered
by a global infrastructure that manages more than six billion network
connections and transactions a day. Additional news and information
about the company is available at www.verisign.com.
Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others: VeriSign's limited operating history under its current business structure; the risk that VeriSign and its acquired businesses will not be integrated successfully and unanticipated costs of such integration; uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations in quarterly operating results; failure of the combined company to retain and hire key executives, technical personnel and other employees; failure of the combined company to manage its growth and the difficulty of successfully managing a larger, more geographically dispersed organization; failure of the combined company to successfully manage relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic customers; network outages, network capacity constraints or security breaches; failure of the combined company's customers to accept new services or to continue using the products and services of the combined company; and competition in the various markets serviced by the combined company. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ending March 31, 2002. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.
VeriSign is a registered trademark of VeriSign, Inc. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Media Contacts:
VeriSign Booth at SuperComm #20526
Penny Thomas, pthomas@verisign.com, office 360-493-6724,
mobile, 360-951-8588
Cheryl Regan, cregan@verisign.com, office, 703-948-4472,
mobile, 703-969-7653
Sara Stutzenstein, Numerex, ss@nmrx.com, 770-485-2541, mobile, 770-331-0269
Investor Relations Contact:
Steven Gatoff, sgatoff@verisign.com, 650-961-7500