London, February 14, 2005 - Avalanche Mobile, a leading global developer of network-based SMS management technologies, today announced it has acquired a 50% ownership stake in messaging and location service provider, 1rstWAP. By utilising 1rst WAP’s global infrastructure, Avalanche Mobile will expand the availability of advanced SMS messaging and location based systems and services, for telecom operators around the world.

The alliance further strengthens Avalanche Mobile’s SMS offering that includes the Intelligent Messaging Filter (IMF) platform. The IMF platform improves SMS system performance and increases ARPU.

1rstWAP is known in the operator community for its wide range of messaging applications including cell broadcast, inter-operator international SMS, interactive SMS services and location applications.

"This acquisition gives Avalanche Mobile access to 1rstWAP's innovative messaging product range,” said Jan Olsen, Managing Director, Avalanche Mobile. “And 1rstWAP's expertise in mobile messaging adds a key resource in helping build stronger product offerings."

1rstWAP's Managing Director, Mr Jonny Goebel, welcomed the acquisition: "The relationship with Avalanche Mobile offers strong synergies for both companies from improved access to technology and markets, to building on our unique capabilities and resources to develop and deploy new mobile applications for operators around the world."

Josef Fuchs, 1rstWAP’s Director of Engineering added, "The real winners from this alliance are the operators.  They urgently need well-equipped service and solution providers to take the pressure off their networks and, at the same time, the ability to launch more value-added services and generate new ARPU, in both the end-user and corporate markets."

Avalanche Mobile is focused on creating and managing new text messaging revenue opportunities for GSM and 3GSM network operators.  With millions of text messages sent worldwide every day, Avalanche has developed a patent-pending flexible SMS platform, that enables network operators to increase and maximize revenue from advanced SMS services.

The Intelligent Messaging Filter™ (IMF) platform enables carriers to personalise, prioritise and deliver, any messaging service to corporate accounts, service/application providers, and private customers - customized to meet individual user needs.

The Avalanche platform offers a wide range of predefined services, such as Priority SMS Services for the corporate and consumer market, parental control services, custom SMS and Surge SMS Management for mass-market consumer events involving public text voting.

1rstWAP (pronounced “first wap”) is a mobile messaging and location application developer and service provider. Using technology based on its strong SS7 capabilities and expertise, 1rstWAP provides a wide range of services to telecom operators, corporates and end-user subscribers around the world.

With over 2 million end-user subscribers, 1rstWAP operates telecom systems and infrastructure with a network of nodes installed with operators in Asia and Europe, giving it capability in many fields including international 2-way messaging, location and billing that can be deployed globally. Founded in 1999 and based in Jakarta, the most popular 1rstWAP applications include cell broadcast, international SMS reaching more than 350 operators, interactive SMS services, SMS voting and location applications including its LocationWatch comprising fleet management and emergency phone status as well as the TravelGuard applications for travelers.

1rstWAP recently released a cell broadcasting service which combines key elements of its location and messaging technology and which has already been deployed in the wake of December's Asian tsunami as a potential key component of a new early-warning system.

For more information about this press release or for images and artwork, please contact public_relations@1rstwap.com



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