HP Rolls Out End-to-end Support Services for Wireless Internet; Company Positioned to Drive Innovation for $39 Billion Wireless Data Market

Business Wire, July 10, 2000

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2000

Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HWP) today announced a mobile e-services support program, the latest in a portfolio of initiatives designed to help wireless service providers, application developers and enterprise customers speed and support the introduction of innovative mobile e-services. The program, to be launched first in Europe, where, according to Yankee Group Europe, the wireless data market is expected to reach nearly $39 billion by 2003,(1) includes mission-critical support, enabling service providers to deliver maximum availability and quality of service to subscribers.

"Mobile technologies, such as the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), present a multibillion dollar market opportunity for the creation of intelligent and dynamic transaction-based e-services," said Olli Vaatainen, chief executive officer of Yomi Media Oy, a mobile application developer based in Jyvaskyla, Finland. "I am confident that working with HP will bring success to us both and help us build long-term relationships with teleoperators internationally."

Support for Mobile E-services

HP will provide mission-critical support for mobile solutions by leveraging its existing communications-industry support portfolio, which includes industry-leading Telecom and E-service Support Centers in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.

HP will provide 24x7 online and phone-based support for selected mobile partner applications integrated into solutions for the mobile service provider and the enterprise. Mission-critical support will include high-level proactive and reactive services for such critical system components as Web; application and database servers; Internet firewalls; system hardware; and HP-UX, Windows NT(R) and Linux operating systems.

HP will help mobile operators design, build, implement, support, and run the IP infrastructures now required for large-scale implementation of mobile e-services using leading IP technologies from Cisco Systems and Nortel Networks.

Additionally, HP's mobile e-services support will do the following:

-- support mobile application developers through the application

design, build and implementation phases. These services are

expected to slash time to market for pioneering wireless

applications;

-- provide installation, start-up, configuration and integration

services for WAP gateway and wireless applications;

-- provide end-to-end infrastructure support for wireless service

providers to help them to avoid service outages; and

-- provide facilities for developing mobile e-services and

applications based on standards such as WAP and HP's e-speak

technologies by leveraging HP's Mobile E-services Bazaars.

"Our mobile e-services initiative is part of HP's strategic focus on becoming the premier global enabler of the wireless Internet and mobile e-services," said Wolfram Fischer, vice president and general manager of sales and marketing, HP Europe. "We believe that helping application developers and wireless service providers develop and support innovative mobile e-services quickly is essential to shifting the wireless Internet from the early-adopter stage to mass consumer acceptance."

HP is driving the mobile e-services revolution with a complete suite of products and services, including consulting, financing support and joint marketing for service providers.

Mobile E-services Bazaars

To help fuel the creation of innovative mobile e-services, HP established Mobile E-services Bazaars in geographic regions that lead the world in developing wireless services: Helsinki, Finland, and Singapore, with other locations scheduled to open later this summer. In each region, the Mobile E-services Bazaar serves as the creative, and commercial hub for mobile e-services innovation and mobile application development that will be leveraged to extend throughout the international market.

Industry Support

HP currently has strong relationships with more than 150 of the world's leading wireless application and middleware developers, such as Nokia, Nextenso, Yomi Media, LPG Innovations and Tantau Software. The mobile e-services initiative offers these application developers global presence and scope in supporting their customers.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to individuals and businesses through simple appliances, useful e-services and an Internet infrastructure that's always on.

HP has 86,000 employees worldwide and had total revenue from continuing operations of $42.4 billion in its 1999 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.

(1) Yankee: "Value-Added Services in Europe: The Transition from SMS to Wireless Internet," Nov. 1999