Webraska Awarded European Patent for IbDN--Internet- Based Distributed Navigation--Technology for Turn-by-Turn Navigation and Fleet Management On Wireless PDAs and Embedded Terminals

    MAISONS-LAFFITTE, France--Jan. 8, 2002--Webraska, the worldwide provider of LBS & Telematics applications and enabling platforms, was notified today by the European Patent Office of the approval and registration of its IbDN(R) patent for distributed navigation in 18 European countries.
    This innovative high-performance technology enables the conversion of all mobile or dash-board integrated terminals into "personal co-pilots" providing real-time turn-by-turn navigation, independent of the standard and technology used for device localization. IbDN(R) enables the delivery of such services via thin clients such as mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant), as the cartographic data, real-time traffic information and point-of-interest databases are all hosted on remote servers accessible over the mobile Internet.
    In contrast to traditional navigation systems, which use costly on-board computers equipped with CD-ROM drives, Webraska's innovation is based on powerful server-based software capable of calculating routes, proximity searches, maps and traffic information in milliseconds. The information is compressed and transmitted via IP across the mobile telephone network to the subscriber's handset. It therefore permits end-users to access up-to-date navigation, traffic, map and point-of-interest information, instantly, wherever they are and to share this information with their company, colleagues and friends.
    IbDN(R)-based technology and applications such as real-time turn-by-turn navigation on PDAs or dash-board integrated terminals, vehicle tracking, and fleet management are already undergoing pre-launch commercial evaluation with around thirty partners in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, North America, South-East Asia, Japan and Australia. Partners include automotive manufacturers, vendors of on-board systems, software houses focusing on the travel and transport sectors, telecom equipment manufacturers, system integrators for corporate applications, municipalities and corporate clients.
    "The approval of this patent in 18 European countries confirms Webraska's leadership position in the location-based services market; a market which is forecast to grow to $20bn p.a. during the next four years," commented Jean-Michel Durocher, CEO of Webraska, "We are continuing to innovate each day to enable our customers to have the most compelling offer on the market."
    Available both as a turnkey application, or a technology platform complete with SDK (Software Development Kit), IbDN(R) is a component of Webraska's LBS offer, already in use by more than 12 telecom operators worldwide.

    About Webraska

    Webraska, recently merged with Airflash Inc., provides the advanced software solutions required to develop, integrate and deploy location-based and telematic services. Webraska's carrier-grade offering includes theSmartZone Wireless GeoSpatial Platform(TM), the SmartZone LBS(TM) Application Platform, the patented and award-winning car navigation solution, IbDN(R) Lite, and over 20 other ready-to-deploy market-proven applications such as BuddyFinder and M-vite.
    Webraska has headquarters in Silicon Valley and in France, and offices around the world. The company currently powers the LBS and telematics offering of service providers in four continents, including Blu, E-Plus, Pacific Access, Orange, Telecom Italia Mobile, and Viag Interkom, and has partnerships with leading technology providers including Borg, Ericsson, IBM, Nortel, Oracle, and SignalSoft.