First Hop Ltd provides Sonera Travel (tm) services
Sonera Travel services based on First Hop's Escio Message Gateway platform First Hop Ltd provides Sonera Travel services with Carrier-Grade Messaging Platform Helsinki, Finland - February 20, 2001 - The mobile infrastructure software company First Hop Ltd has supplied Sonera Travel services with its Escio Message Gateway (EMG) messaging platform. Introduced in November 2000, EMG is a scalable high-availability platform designed to enable fast and reliable messaging services for a large number of simultaneous users. Sonera Travel services send real-time flight information to travellers' mobile phones. The traveller receives SMS messages about departure and arrival times, terminals and gates. Sonera Travel services update the traveller automatically on the status of the flight, as well as possible changes. EMG is a carrier-grade product enabling reliable and flexible routing of messages between mobile terminals and mobile services. The development of new SMS services has been made easier due to the usability of the programming interface. "Sonera Travel services are good examples of services that require a very high level of reliability and scalability of the programming platform. EMG is a high-availability, high-end infrastructure software product developed specifically to meet the needs of mobile operators and mobile service providers", says Petteri Koponen, CEO of First Hop Ltd. "Reliability and excellent service quality are essential for Sonera Travel services. First Hop's EMG messaging technology enables us to provide reliable services to our demanding global customers", says Kalle Vuoristo, who is responsible for the technology of Sonera Travel services at Sonera. EMG supports all ETSI-approved SMS center interfacing protocols and can easily be integrated into a wide array of application development environments. The basic features of EMG include push and pull delivery of SMS messages, batch messaging and timed delivery. The architecture of the product is highly modular and the system can be extended with several value-added packages. EMG is part of First Hop's Escio Mobile Access product line, which includes fully interoperable infrastructure software products that facilitate the development of mobile services and enable access to Internet services via mobile devices. Other products in the product line include, for example, the Escio Portal Engine, a deep multichannel publishing system, and Escio WAP Tuner, a customizable WAP phone configuration tool. About First Hop First Hop Ltd develops carrier-grade software products for mobile operators, service providers, ISPs and ASPs. The company specialises in application platforms that enable mobile access to Internet and short- range wireless services. Founded in 1997, First Hop is privately held and based in Espoo, Finland. For more information, please visit www.firsthop.com. < ends > Contact First Hop Ltd: Petteri Koponen, CEO E-mail: petteri.koponen@firsthop.com, tel. +358 40 772 7007 Juhana Räsänen, CTO E-mail: juhana.rasanen@firsthop.com, tel. +358 40 705 9986 Press Contact: Heli Harri, Communications Officer E-mail: heli.harri@firsthop.com, tel. +358 40 718 4799 ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/02/20/20010220BIT00700/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/02/20/20010220BIT00700/bit0002.pdf