At Telecom 99 in Geneva, Swisscom has announced its intention to exploit the growth areas in telecommunications: mobile telecommunications, integrated solutions and e-commerce. Mobile services are a focal point of Swisscom's appearance at Telecom 99 in Geneva. In the booming and competitive Swiss telecoms market, Swisscom intends to maintain its competitive edge by providing customers with the latest products in convergence technology. High Speed Circuit-Switched Data is the technology behind NATEL Office Link, the Swisscom business product which lets the user "take the office on the road". In the first weeks of the new millennium, Swisscom customers will be able to enjoy the benefits of WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) on their mobile phones. WAP convergence technology unites the Internet with the mobile phone. All Swisscom mobile customers, from Natel easy to Natel International, can profit. Swisscom will present WAP services and announce additional WAP technology products during Telecom 99. Swisscom's Strategic Direction At the company's press conference at Telecom 99, Swisscom CEO, Tony Reis pointed to two megatrends taking place in today's global telecommunications market. First, companies are realising that their greatest asset is their relationship with the customer. Second, operators are becoming increasingly aware of the growing over-capacity of infrastructure; the deconstruction of the value chain in telecommunications; and, at the same time, the growing demand for merging technologies: convergence. According to Tony Reis, the result of the convergence of fixed- network and mobile telephony is that voice traffic is increasingly being transmitted via the mobile network. This means that the fixed network can, in future, be used more and more for broadband transmission, such as multimedia. Tony Reis is convinced that "growth potential for Swisscom lies particularly in the areas of mobile telephony, integrated communications solutions, and E-commerce." To take advantage of these growth areas, Swisscom will look to increase its customer base abroad; set up a broadband infrastructure and make it available to third parties; and differentiate itself in the market through competitive products and services. Swisscom Announces Mobile HSCSD Product Addressing the mobile market, Calvin Grieder, Head of Swisscom Product House, announced that Swisscom had taken a step into the future with the introduction of the High Speed Circuit Switched Data product, NATEL Office Link. Calvin Grieder said that Swisscom sees its role as being "the preferred value-added service provider in the Heart of Europe". To that end, Swisscom is one of the first providers of the kind of service package offered by NATEL Office Link. This service provides customers with a host of new applications in the field of mobile data transmission. NATEL Office Link, with transmission rates comparable to ISDN, connects the laptops of travelling business people with their company's Intranet or LAN. The product is designed to provide data services to those people who are frequently on the road for business and require quick access to company files and information on the Internet. All of the classic Internet applications are available using NATEL Office Link, such as sending and receiving e-mails, access to confidential data which should not be stored on laptops, extraction of large quantities of data from handbooks or software for example, and rapid Internet access. NATEL Office Link guarantees comprehensive security on the server and user equipment. Swisscom Announces Wireless Application Protocol for the New Millennium As a leading provider of telecommunications services, Swisscom has been aware of the growing interest in and applications for WAP, wireless application protocol. WAP technology broadens opportunities for E-commerce by allowing you to access the Internet from your mobile phone: specially formatted pages on the Internet can be called up any time, anywhere. Swisscom announced that in the first weeks of the New Year all Swisscom mobile customers, from NATEL easy to NATEL International, will be able to enjoy the benefits of WAP. WAP is a logical progression from the well-known NATEL InfoService, with the Internet being used as the transmission medium instead of SMS (Short Message Service). WAP enables various possibilities: regardless of time and place you will be able to call up information on public transport, cinemas, concerts and other leisure activities. You will also be able to shop electronically and carry out bank transactions -- all via mobile phone. Swisscom will unveil more on mobile banking during Telecom 99. The first WAP phones will be on the market this year. Swisscom will be one of the first providers in Europe to offer Internet access from a mobile phone. NATEL Roaming InfoService At Telecom 99, Walter Heutschi, Head of Swisscom Mobile, announced that Swisscom has affirmed its position as world's leader in mobile roaming with the introduction of Swisscom's NATEL Roaming InfoService. NATEL Roaming InfoService allows Swisscom mobile customers travelling abroad even more freedom of choice. For calls to Switzerland, the prices of the different national operators in the countries where Swisscom mobile customers may be travelling can be called up and compared, thus giving customers choice and saving them money. Comparing prices by mobile phone with NATEL InfoService is as simple as calling up sports results, or stock prices on the mobile phone display. SMS will deliver the price comparisons in seconds. Swisscom - Official Sponsor of Telecom 99 As official supplier, Swisscom, with its partners, has equipped the Palexpo site with an IP (Internet Protocol) network that is noted in Europe for its performance and flexibility. The network will be used by nearly 1000 exhibitors from around the world. In addition to the IP network, the permanent infrastructure of the GSM 900 and GSM 1800 mobile networks in the exhibition halls has been considerably enhanced: it now provides equivalent capacity for a town of 60,000 inhabitants. At the beginning of 1999, existing capacity was multiplied by six thanks to an additional eleven GSM 900 Mhz and four GSM 1800 Mhz cells. ots Original Text Service: Swisscom AG Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: Swisscom Media Relations, +41-31-342-91-93, or fax, +41-31-342-06-70 Web site: http://www.swisscom.com