News & Events

VeriSign® Provides Global SMS Services to Carriers in the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) 

Interoperability Solution Can Help Drive Consumer and Enterprise Text Messaging

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, November 1, 2005 – VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), the leading provider of intelligent infrastructure services for the Internet and telecommunications networks, today announced that carrier members of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) will use its global Short Messaging Service (SMS) platform so that subscribers can communicate cost-effectively using text messaging. 

CWTA members include Aliant Mobility, Bell Mobility, Fido, MTS, NorthernTel Mobility, Rogers Wireless, SaskTel Mobility, Télébec Mobilité, TELUS Mobility and Virgin Mobile and represent a combined base of more than 15.5 million subscribers.

The service that powers the global SMS capabilities is Metcalf™ Inter-Carrier Messaging, a joint offering from VeriSign and WiderThan Americas. It facilitates interoperability between carriers and devices, across disparate networks and technologies, which are considered must-have requirements for extending the financial and social advantages of text messaging. “There has been tremendous growth in text messaging,” said Vernon Irvin, executive vice president and general manager, VeriSign Communications Services. “By solving disparate network interoperability issues amongst carriers, VeriSign is helping Canadian wireless operators generate mobile messaging revenue, a global market that was valued at $9.5 billion in 2004.” 

The adoption of the VeriSign’s SMS service follows a recent member agreement to use VeriSign’s Inter-Carrier Multimedia Message Service (MMS), which was the broadest initiative of its kind in North America when it was announced earlier this year. The service enables MMS-capable phones to send and receive photos, graphics, audio and video clips.  

“Canadians already transmit 3.7 million text messages a day,” said CWTA President and CEO Peter Barnes. “VeriSign bridges wireless protocols with its intelligent routing technologies, handling interoperability on its secure, reliable and redundant SS7 network. This move will allow CWTA carriers to focus on enhancing the customer experience, which can translate into greater usage and loyalty.”

Canada’s wireless carriers offer network coverage to more than 95 percent of the Canadian population and there are now more than 15.5 million wireless phone subscribers across the country. Text messaging volumes reached 115 million, or more than 3.7 million per day, for the month of March 2005.

###

About VeriSign 
VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), operates intelligent infrastructure services that enable and protect billions of interactions every day across the world’s voice and data networks. Additional news and information about the company is available at www.verisign.com.

For More Information    
VeriSign Media Relations: Lori Sinsley, lsinsley@verisign.com, 650-426-4716   
VeriSign Investor Relations: Tom McCallum, tmccallum@verisign.com, 650-426-3744

Trademarks  
VeriSign and other trademarks, service marks and logos are registered or unregistered marks of VeriSign, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and in foreign countries. Copyright © 2005 VeriSign, Inc. All rights reserved.

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, the uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations in quarterly operating results due to such factors as increasing competition and pricing pressure from competing services offered at prices below our prices and market acceptance of our existing services, the inability of VeriSign to successfully develop and market new services and the uncertainty of whether new services as provided by VeriSign will achieve market acceptance or result in any revenues. 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, including in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.