Telcontar and whereonearth Partner to Offer Location-Based Services Platform in Europe

    SAN JOSE, Calif. & LONDON--May 31, 2001-- Recognizing a great synergy between the two companies' offerings, Telcontar, a software and services platform provider for location-based solution companies, and whereonearth, an innovative provider of location-enabling infrastructure for web and wireless applications, today announced a partnership to offer European customers a combined Location Enabling Technology Platform. As part of the long-term deal, whereonearth will act as a value-added reseller for Telcontar by integrating its map data and Location Enabling software into Telcontar's Drill Down Server(TM) environment. The professional services groups of both companies will team to deliver services required for large, custom installations of the combined software.
    "By combining Telcontar and whereonearth's products and services, we will be able to provide customers with the most complete location-based services platform currently on the market," said Eric Carlson, president and CEO of Telcontar. "The two companies' services are highly complementary."
    "We are really excited about the opportunities bringing Telcontar's software into Europe will create. It has extended our International Location-Enabling Platform to provide our customers with rich configurable functionality," said Steve Packard, CEO of whereonearth. "The wireless LBS market is forecast to grow rapidly over the next two years and our combined technology is set to become the 'platform of choice' of leading wireless operators with high usage demands."
    whereonearth's data and Location Enabling Technology, GeoZip(TM), will be used in conjunction with Telcontar's server technology to provide business customers with an advanced LBS solution for Internet mapping, Routing, and real-time traffic services to the wireless and telematics industries. Customers will be able to plan travel through multiple countries and navigate the street networks of thousands of cities worldwide.

    About Telcontar

    Telcontar is the leading software and services provider for location-based solution companies. Telcontar's clients use its Drill Down Server(TM) to offer their own customers such services as driving directions, real-time traffic information, maps, and fleet tracking. The company's services are also used by vehicular or personal emergency response call centers as well as for fleet tracking and dispatch. The company specializes in integrating digital maps with traditional database content drawn from multiple sources. Telcontar is privately held and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with field offices in Los Angeles, Dallas, and the United Kingdom.

    About whereonearth

    whereonearth provides location enabling technology. Its core components include GeoZip(TM), multi-lingual, International address geocoding software, GeoLocata(TM), a proximity search engine and GeoPlanet(TM), a global geographic map database. The company's technology is used to convert static data into "Location-Enabled" information so that customers can provide localized services to their subscribers. The company is privately owned and has 60 employees operating at its Central London Head Quarters.