724 Solutions Embraces the Mobile Blogging Revolution, Adds RSS Support to X-treme Alerts Platform
Expands the breadth of content options available to Mobile Network Operators
Atlanta, GA (CTIA Show, March 22, 2004) - 724 Solutions (NASDAQ: SVNX; TSX: SVN), a leading provider of next-generation IP-based network and data services, today announced the expansion of its X-treme Alerts Platform (XAP) to accommodate the increasingly popular Really Simple Syndication (RSS) data format. XAP is the first carrier-grade mobile alerts engine to support RSS, extending the revenue-generating opportunities available to mobile network operators seeking to offer highly personalized premium message services to their subscribers.
XAP's new RSS capability helps mobile network operators monetize the growing RSS-based blogging movement by offering personalized premium services that notify subscribers of new posts to favorite blogs. Actionable in nature, these blog alerts feature convenient one-touch access to short codes or WAP links prompting the subscriber to immediately click through to the blog and interact with this content via a data connection.
Today, RSS is delivering a variety of syndicated content from many content providers including Reuters, Rolling Stones, Amazon.com and Apple Computers for example. Top 10 downloads at iTunes Music Store, bestselling books, final sports scores and headline news updates are a few examples of popular content that distributed via RSS and posted to blogs.
"RSS is rapidly gaining momentum as a means of syndicating and disseminating Web content. As such, helping our customers leverage RSS-based content makes eminent sense," said Russ Green, Vice President of Product Development for 724 Solutions. "The name of the game in mobile data services is to deliver the online content the subscriber wants, and supporting the maximum number of content formats available provides the opportunity for maximum returns."
XAP provides mobile operators and content providers with a turnkey solution for building, managing and delivering alert-oriented content including news, weather, sports information and stock quotes. The service also supports other permission-based content such as dating services and interactive voting applications.
Support for RSS helps to round out XAP's set of standards-based content adapters, which includes pulling XML files over HTTP, pushing media-rich content via a web-service and pushing content via an http POST.
"The lightweight RSS is very efficient for generating headlines and sports scores, which are the dominant MMS alert content," said X.J. Wang, Senior Analyst, Wireless/Mobile Technologies for the Yankee Group. "RSS is expected to play an important role in the mobile content arena moving forward. 724 Solutions' RSS initiatives enable content providers to deliver time-sensitive content that will help mobile network operators attract bigger mobile communities."
XAP is part of 724's X-treme Mobility Suite, a complete next-generation data network solution for enabling differentiated, personalized premium data services. The suite also includes the X-treme Mobility Gateway (XMG), a highly scalable and fault-tolerant wireless WAP 2.0 gateway; X-treme MMS Accelerator (XMA), a powerful new software solution that enables mobile operators to cost-effectively send large volumes of perishable Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) notifications from Value Added Service Providers to subscribers; and the X-treme Service Activity Manager (XSAM), a workflow engine that improves the speed of the deployment and management of wireless data services from third-party content providers.
About 724 Solutions Inc.
724 Solutions (NASDAQ: SVNX; TSX: SVN) delivers reliable, scalable technology and solutions that allow mobile network operators to rapidly deploy flexible and open next generation IP-based network and data services. Additionally, in conjunction with mobile operator partners, the company provides a series of actionable alerting solutions to enterprises to assist them in lowering operating costs and improving customer relationship management. 724 Solutions is a global company with development operations in North America, Switzerland and Germany with headquarters in Toronto, Canada. For more information, visit www.724.com.
For more information, contact:
Avichai Levy, VP Marketing Mobixell Networks
Tel: +972 544 666 785
Avichai.levy@mobixell.com
Kirsten Scott and Kim Smith, éclat Marketing
Tel: +44 (0)1276 486000
mobixell@eclat.co.uk
