STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Sept. 12, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- MapInfo Corporation (Nasdaq:MAPS) today announced a global partnership with Swedish Mobile Internet positioning specialist, Mobilaris. Through the partnership, the companies will combine MapInfo's miAware(TM) location-based services platform with Mobilaris' positioning middleware, Pacific Ocean, to provide mobile operators with faster implementation of complete, end-to-end location-based services (LBS) solutions.
The partnership will enable wireless operators to more quickly bring to market a wide range of unique mobile location-dependent applications such as city guides, real-time traffic updates, and "find the nearest" businesses or restaurants. Wireless operators will be able to efficiently differentiate their offerings for all types of customers, resulting in a significant competitive advantage.
According to Larry Delaney, General Manager for MapInfo's LBS Business Unit, "The integration of the two products creates an outstanding, pre-integrated solution that enables carriers to rapidly deploy location-based services and to generate incremental revenues. Mobilaris has proven expertise in the mobile positioning market and the combination of our solutions enables us to offer operators a unique platform to support LBS deployments. For MapInfo, the partnership will bring us closer to some of our target customers and enable us to provide a complete, end-to-end product."
Bjorn Westerholm, CEO, Mobilaris, said: "Mobilaris' mission is to focus on fast time-to-market and rapid return on investment for operators. Our partnership with MapInfo is a clear demonstration of this commitment. We are keen to expand our offering into Mobile Location Services and wanted a market proven geospatial platform to enable this."
He continued: "Telecoms operators crave stability and our aim is to build partnerships that ensure this. MapInfo already has a market- leading presence in the area through its work with Vodafone and Siemens and together we provide the ideal combination - a cost effective and easily integrated route to LBS."
Mobilaris will integrate MapInfo's miAware platform with their middleware technology Pacific Ocean over the next months.
About Mobilaris AB
Based in Stockholm and Lulea, Sweden, Mobilaris' mission is to focus on fast time-to-market and return-on-investment for operators. Mobilaris combines the expertise of the very real mobile operator business environment with world-class mobile Internet technology and R&D. The founders of Mobilaris include proven business developers for location-based services, mobile software developers and strategic management expertise from the mobile communication industry. Mobilaris have together with Ericsson deployed commercially running installations across Europe.
(*)Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean is a service-enabling mediation middleware functioning as a layer between end-user services and subservient operator systems. The solution enables fast development of mobile services due to open interfaces allowing application providers to access functionality such as positioning, billing, statistics and similar systems. The design of the instrumentation enables the operator to scale and change legacy systems.
About MapInfo
MapInfo Corporation is a global software company that integrates software, data and services to help customers realise greater value from location-based information and drive more insightful decisions. MapInfo solutions are available in 20 languages through a network of strategic partners and distribution channels in 60 countries. Headquartered in Troy, NY, MapInfo Corporation is on the World Wide Web at www.mapinfo.com. The company's U.K. and European headquarters are in Windsor, U.K.
For further information please contact:
Matthew Spencer Michelle Adair/ Sue Glanville
MapInfo Limited EuroPR Group
Tel +44 (0) 1753 848200 Tel +44 (0) 20 8971 6413/6404
Email: matthew.spencer@mapinfo.com Email: madair@europrgroup.com
sglanville@europrgroup.com
Angela Giraud
MapInfo Corporation
Tel +1 (0) 518 285 6000
Email: press@mapinfo.com
Nikolas Georgii
Mobilaris AB
+46 705 39 60 66 (mobile)
Email: nikolas.georgii@mobilaris.se
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