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1999 Press Releases
nFront Selected by Powertel to
Provide Mobile Access for
Internet Banking Customers
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Contact:
Kelly Harviel
nFront, Inc.
770.209.4460, ext. 265
kharviel@banking.com
Ernie Buday
Ketchum Crescent for nFront
404.287.2000, ext. 186
ebuday@crescomm.com
Joe Patterson
Powertel, Inc.
706.634.1493
jpatters@powertel.com
nFront Selected by Powertel to Provide Mobile Access for Internet Banking Customers
-nFront to begin providing integrated messaging services between Internet banking sites and Powertel wireless phones
ATLANTA, December 6, 1999 - nFrontTM, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFNT, www.nFront.com), a leading outsource provider of Internet banking services, today announced an alliance with Powertel, Inc. (NASDAQ/NM: PTEL, www.powertel.com), a leading wireless Personal Communications Service (PCS) provider, to offer Internet banking to Powertel customers on their wireless handsets.
nFront, Powertel's first bank technology partner, will deliver banking applications directly to Powertel handsets through Powertel's short messaging service (SMS). nFront provides more than 200 banks its award-winning outsourced Internet banking solution for businesses and for consumers.
With Powertel's new Mobile e-mail service, customers of banks using the nFront service will be able to receive customized, system-generated e-mail messages on Powertel handsets. Each customer can define the activities and transactions that will trigger e-mail alerts. Powertel will translate messages it receives via e-mail from nFront into SMS-formatted digital text messages and forward them to the customer's handset.
nFront and Powertel also have begun development of interactive Internet banking. Specifically, the two will work together to create an interface on GSM phones that allows customers to verify balance information, initiate transactions, and manage their accounts. The GSM (Global System for Mobile) Communications technology -- the worldwide standard for digital wireless communications that is deployed by Powertel in the Southeast - is available in 142 countries and is the most widely used digital wireless technology in the United States.
"Powertel's aggressive support of mobile data creates a major opportunity to increase the appeal and the benefits of Internet banking," said Tripp Rackley, nFront chairman and CEO. "Together, the two companies will work closely to marry the convenience of Internet banking with the mobility of wireless telephones."
"We have sought industry leaders to be our technology partners. Clearly, nFront is a leader in the rapidly emerging Internet banking segment," said Jim Murrell, vice president of business development for Powertel, and chairman of GSM North America. "With Powertel's mobile data capabilities, customers of nFront's Internet banking services no longer have to be tied to desktops and laptops. While on the go, they can control their finances and manage their business using Powertel's Mobile e-mail service."
About Powertel
Powertel, Inc. provides 100 percent digital PCS wireless services in its licensed service area in 12 states in the Southeast - the largest contiguous PCS network in the
southeastern United States. Through its affiliation with other GSM carriers, Powertel's coverage extends across the United States to most major cities and into much of
Canada to a population of more than 180 million people. Powertel's core markets are in 34 southeastern metropolitan areas and along the major highway corridors that connect them. Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Birmingham, Chattanooga, Jackson, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Lexington, Louisville, Macon, Memphis, Nashville and Savannah are among the municipalities in Powertel's licensed service area, which has a population of more than 24 million people. Powertel offers consumers and businesses a variety of compact handsets from Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola and Mitsubishi. For more information on Powertel and its products and services, visit the company on its web site at:http://www.powertel.com.
Powertel is a member of The GSM Alliance, L.L.C., a consortium of U.S. and Canadian digital wireless PCS carriers, which helps provide seamless wireless communications for its customers, whether in North America in more than 4,000 U.S. and Canadian cities and towns, or abroad. Using Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications, GSM companies provide superior voice clarity, unparalleled security and leading-edge wireless voice, data and fax features for customers. In North America, more than 4.8 million customers are using GSM service in 46 U.S. States, the District of Columbia and four Canadian Provinces, including eight of the top 10 and 20 of the top 25 wireless markets. For more information on the GSM Alliance, visit its web site: www.gsm-pcs.org.
About nFront
Atlanta-based nFront, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFNT, www.nFront.com) is a leading Internet banking services company that enables small to mid-size financial institutions to process financial transactions with their customers via bank-branded Web sites. nFront's comprehensive outsourced service is a secure, reliable and scalable way to deliver Internet banking, a key means of attracting and retaining profitable customers. Exclusively endorsed by the American Bankers Association (ABA) and winner of Microsoft's Best Internet Banking Solution Award, nFront provides fully transactional Internet banking development and implementation, Web site design, maintenance and hosting, customer service training and support, and marketing consulting services.
