Thalamus and Avantra forms new company to develop micro payment system for broadband portals

Thalamus and Avantra forms new company to develop micro payment system for broadband portals Thalamus Networks and Avantra forms a joint venture to develop an IT solution, providing support for broadband services. The system includes accounting, on-line payment and customer support. The project's objective is to produce an open standard for a micro payment platform. The design as well as construction drawings have been completed, and the project will now move on to production. Earlier, reprogramming was required in order to offer new services for consumers. The new product makes it possible for service providers to easily charge consumers as well as add new services, according to the customers' needs. - Households, service providers and net owners will profit from the new company. Our business idea is to administrate the core of the system, which will then be licensed for consultants and net owners, says Roger Eliasson, vice CEO of Avantra AB. The tendency in broadband business plans now is to form walled gardens with customers and systems, making them unavailable and exclusive. The Thalamus/Avantra solution could instead become a standard, used by everybody in the business. - Our ambition was to make an e-commerce system simple enough to use both for our end users and our suppliers, says Thomas Rebermark, Marketing Manager of Thalamus Networks. In order to develop the system further, we need to let a lot of companies get access and be able to influence the system. Everybody will profit from that. The open structure broadens the market for the service. Other actors that are planning to offer the market broadband services will also be able to use the e-commerce system. We are also open to taking in new partners in the company, says Thomas Rebermark. AVANTRA AB (www.avantra.se) is an IT consultant company with its headquarters in Luleå and subsidiary in Stockholm. The company was founded in 1997 and has had three very years of good earnings. Avantra offers their customers profitable IT business and specializes in reforming business processes and e-business solutions. The company has 30 eployees. Some of its clients are Ericsson, Telia and LKAB. Thalamus Networks AB (www.thalamus.se) is the only operator that can offer a complete portfolio of services for intelligent living. Apart from Internet access, Thalamus also offers energy management, information, media and telephony. Thalamus® is provided over optical fibre, cable-TV and Ethernet (LAN). Thalamus Networks is listed on the OM Stockholm Stock Exchange's O-list. The Company built Sweden's first commercial high speed property net, combined with control and communications services for landlords. The Company is expanding rapidly and has offices in Ängelholm, Malmö, Halmstad, Gothenburg and Stockholm. Net sales are approximately 40 MSEK a year with 40 employees. For further information, please contact: Thomas Rebermark, Marketing Manager Thalamus Networks: +46 8 691 09 07, +46 703 240193, thomas.rebermark@thalamus.se Jan Tidelius, CEO Thalamus Networks: +46 8 691 09 09, +46 705525626 jan.tidelius@thalamus.se Staffan Ruuth, CEO Avantra AB. Tel +46 920228814, +46 706 628814, staffan.ruuth@avantra.se Roger Eliasson, vice CEO Avantra AB. +46 920 228832, +46 706 628832 roger.eliasson@avantra.se ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/07/20001107BIT00630/bit0001.pdf http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/07/20001107BIT00630/bit0002.doc