Ericsson and SAS in trial for Wireless Travel Management

Ericsson and SAS in trial for Wireless Travel Management Ericsson and Scandinavian Airlines System are running a trial for Wireless Travel Services in cooperation with two of the travel industry's leading companies, SMART and Amadeus. In the initial phase, frequent fliers are able to book and cancel flights and to check timetables and availability of flights on the Internet via their mobile GSM device. The Wireless Travel Management trial is focusing on SAS's frequent flyer customer segment, that is, those passengers who routinely book air travel several or more times per month. In the trial, in addition to being able to directly book and cancel flights and check flight information through the Internet, travelers can also send and receive e-mails. Participants in the trial are using a mobile phone and a handheld computer with Internet web browsing functionality. Ericsson's WebOnAir, is being used to enable faster downloading of Internet pages via a wireless terminal. Depending on the character of the information being accessed, WebOnAir, which was shown at CeBIT in Hannover, can triple the speed of downloading Internet pages on a mobile device. A second trial phase is scheduled to run in May and will offer participants additional services, which will be selected based on experience and knowledge gained during the initial trial. For purposes of the trial, the demonstration facility at Ericsson Wireless Internet in Kista, outside Stockholm, is acting in the role of an ISP (Internet Service Provider), connected to the SMART travel booking system and the users via a mobile network. The Wireless Travel Management concept is being demonstrated at two major trade fairs during March; CeBIT in Hannover and TUR ´99, in Gothenburg, Sweden. The close cooperation between Ericsson and these partners - SAS, SMART and Amadeus - is aimed at developing tailor-made services that facilitate travel for customers through convenient, fast access to information, 24 hours a day - wireless from any place - and greater control over management of their travel planing. Commercial launch the Wireless Travel Management service is planned for the second half of 1999. Ericsson is the leading provider in the new telecoms world, with communications solutions that combine telecom and datacom technologies with freedom of mobility for the user. With more than 100,000 employees in 140 countries, Ericsson simplifies communications for its customers - network operators, service providers, enterprises and consumers - the world over. Please visit Ericsson's Press Room at: http://www.ericsson.se/pressroom FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Patrik Lobergh, Wireless e-commerce Ericsson Business Unit GSM Systems Phone: +46 70 345 2108; E-mail: patrik.lobergh@era.ericsson.se Johan Wiklund, Ericsson Corporate Communications Phone: +46 70 560 0134; E-mail: johan.wiklund@lme.ericsson.se Micael Lunderbye, SAS, Manager Agency and Corporate Program Phone: +46 8 797 2446; E-mail: micael.lunderbye@sas.se Bertil Ternert, SAS Corporate Communications Phone: +46 8 797 2081; E-mail: bertil.ternert@sas.se Company Information The SAS Group comprises SAS airline and SAS International Hotels. SAS is a part of the Star Alliance Group with over 720 destinations in over 110 countries. SMART is northern Europe's leading enterprise in electronic distribution of travel information, booking and ticketing. Via their network, travel service providers reach out to 1,600 travel agencies and 12,000 computerized workstations. SMART is Amadeus's national marketing company for Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Amadeus is the fastest growing global distribution system (GDS) and is used more than any other system, with nearly 44,000 travel agency locations connected to its data processing center, as well as the sales offices of over 100 airlines world-wide.