Speedy Tomato hits the UK The first step in the conquest of Europe

Speedy Tomato hits the UK The first step in the conquest of Europe Speedy Tomato, a wireless mobile portal, today announced the launch of www.speedytomato.co.uk in the UK. A subsidiary of Scandinavian communication and Internet company Telia AB, Speedy Tomato is a pan- European portal, with further launches planned for Denmark in December and in Finland early in 2001. With the mobile Internet set to be the medium of the 21st century, listening to and understanding users needs will be essential in the success of any portal. Speedy Tomato's strategy is to do just that and it will be developing the portal over the next three months through continuous dialogue with early adopters, influencers and focus groups. With its clear focus on the consumer, the philosophy behind Speedy Tomato is the drive to 'socialise' technology rather than technologise people. To this end Speedy Tomato has a number of unique aspects that differentiate the portal: A Personalised Platform The Speedy Tomato platform is based on true personalisation for each user, with consumers selecting the content which is relevant to their needs and interests. Information is placed by users in building blocks, called 'Speedies', which users can drag and drop in order to prioritise information. This also gives users the ability to access the information quickly since all they view is what they have selected, rather than having to trawl through 'layers' of irrelevant detail. Its Heritage Speedy's parent company, Telia AB, is the Scandinavian mobile market leader. It has extensive knowledge of mobile users and their usage patterns along with cutting edge expertise in mobile operations. Access to this experience, along with existing wireless portal platforms and services, experience in the integration of wireless with Internet, relationships with mobile operators and technology companies, as well as the Group's financial strength, will all be important success factors. Content, Services and Applications Initially the portal will offer basic services such as a personal diary and address book, e-mail direct to mobile phones, individually-tailored news, adverts from personally-selected companies, news on finance and sport. However, new and innovative content will be in place in addition to rich, value-adding applications. "The mobile Internet and mobile portals are the medium of the 21st century. It will be bigger than ordinary web portals are today, and we will be one of the leaders in Europe", says Zeth Nyström. "The content of far too many portals focuses on what is technically possible rather than on what people actually need", says Scott Goodwin, Managing Director of Speedy Tomato in the UK. Speedy Tomato is a multi access portal and can be accessed in several ways, including through the web, WAP and PDA. For high-resolution images and background material, please visit www.speedytomato.com. For further information please contact: Helen Stott, PR Manager, Telia UK, phone: +44 20 7870 5549 Speedy Tomato AB Speedy Tomato AB was established in September 2000, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telia. By the end of 2000, the company will have about 70 staff in Sweden, Great Britain, Denmark and Finland. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/29/20001129BIT00850/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/29/20001129BIT00850/bit0002.pdf