Monday, March 22, 2004
mPortal Introduces mMessage Custom Group Messaging Solution

Hosted service enables operators to increase adoption of data services and Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) from small & medium business customers
 
Atlanta, March 22, 2004: At the CTIA Wireless 2004 event in Atlanta, mPortal, a leading provider of mobile solutions for mobile service providers and businesses, today announced the availability of mMessage, a solution for enhanced and custom group messaging for small and medium business users. Available as a hosted service, mMessage can be private-labeled by mobile service providers ensuring a rapid time to revenue. The initial release of mMessage will soon be available to ALLTEL users on the QUALCOMM BREW™ platform, and will be available on additional platforms in coming months. Attendees of CTIA Wireless 2004 can experience mMessage at the mPortal booth (# 3931).

By introducing mMessage, service providers can increase the adoption of data services and ARPU from small and medium business subscribers; by using mMessage, businesses can communicate in a timely, secure and cost-effective manner with their field workforce thereby increasing business and operational productivity.

"Despite the widespread adoption of mobile phones, the rudimentary user interface and one-to-one addressing limitations have restricted the adoption of text messaging, particularly for business users", said Brent Iadarola, Senior Wireless Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "With mMessage's group and custom messaging capabilities, mPortal provides a solution that enhances the value of text messaging for businesses, while lowering the learning curve. Such capabilities will go a long way in driving adoption of data services and increasing ARPU for service providers."

Existing SMS-based text messaging services are limited to 'one-to-one' communications, however business users constantly require one-to-many communications with field employees. mMessage addresses this specific industry requirement by enabling efficient, instantaneous communication between a central location and one or more field employees. mMessage incorporates an intuitive web-browser-based console and an interactive mobile client that works on existing phones. mMessage is available as a hosted solution, ensuring a short time-to-market and rapid Return On Investment for service providers.

"With mMessage, we provide service providers with an opportunity to increase the adoption and ARPU from their data services initiatives, while ensuring that businesses can improve productivity and lower operational costs of communication with field employees," said DP Venkatesh, CEO of mPortal. "mMessage is yet another proof point of mPortal's commitment to bringing innovative and user-friendly business mobility solutions to the global marketplace."

About mPortal Inc.
mPortal is a premier provider of turnkey wireless data applications and infrastructure software solutions for mobile operators and enterprises. mPortal's solutions enable mobile operators to increase revenue per user and maximize ROI from mobile data networks by rapidly introducing revenue-generating applications to their end-users. Enterprises can leverage the ubiquity of mobile devices and data networks to lower operational costs while enhancing productivity, service and support through their mobile workforce. mPortal is based in Vienna, VA, with global operations, customers and partners including Alltel, Reliance Infocomm, Xerox Corporation, Motorola, HP, SUN, QUALCOMM and BEA Systems.