5NINE Announces WAPLinux.org; New Open Source Kernel for Bringing WAP To Linux.

Business/Technology Editors

MONTREAL, Quebec--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 28, 2000

5NINE, the leading developer of Wireless Data Infrastructure (WIS/I) technology for Linux, announces the launch of WAPLinux.org, an open source development project for modifying the Linux kernel to fully support the Wireless Application (WAP) protocol and bearers such as the Short Message Service (SMS), Mobitex and third generation (3G) technologies such as the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS).

These wireless communication technologies will allow Linux to be a choice, for wireless handheld and device vendors, to put in PDAs, watches, appliances and cell phones which will set a Linux standard for wireless client application technology.

Even with the promise of public wireless networks with wider bandwidth, these networks will always suffer from the inherent unreliability caused by structural and radio interference evident in the wireless voice communications of today. WAP is a bearer independant protocol optimized for public wireless networks which allows a more satisfactory experience for end-users with wireless handhelds.

"In our commitment of making Linux the choice for wireless handhelds and appliances, we created WAPLinux.org.", says Martin Dumas, CEO of 5NINE, "3G communication technologies, combined with WAP, will create the wireless application platform of the future."

WAPLinux.org has the goal of creating a fully functional WAP stack integrated into the Linux kernel with support for the connectionless and connection oriented protocols plus bearer support for SMS, Mobitex, CDPD, UMTS and other transitioning technologies for IPv6. These integrations will be available in the form of patches and full kernel source code from the WAPLinux.org website. (http://www.waplinux.org/)

Other features will include:

-- WAP compliant (all mandatory and optional features);

-- WSP Connectionless and Connection-Oriented support;

-- Class 0,1,2,3 WTLS Support; o Class 0,1,2 WTP Support;

-- WDP Support with IPv4, IPv6, UMTS, GSM, SMS, Mobitex and others;

-- A user level header encoding library;

-- Integration with BSD Sockets with dynamic bearer loading;

-- Ability to run under tight resource constraints.

"Most wireless devices that can use Linux will not even include IP support in their kernels," says Boris Kuschel, Chief Technology Officer of 5NINE, "but will instead use network technologies such as WAP over GSM, CDMA and UMTS. It is essential for these technologies to be available in the Linux kernel for it to be a contender in the wireless handheld market."

In order to ensure the success of Linux in the wireless data space, 5NINE has created WAPLinux.org. Details about the project and how to contribute can be found at http://www.waplinux.org/.

About 5NINE

Founded by ITPS Group, 5NINE's mission is to create a wireless data infrastructure through its WIS/I technology that will allow corporations and wireless telephony carrier's to have direct access to their customer base by allowing for the very feature that made the internet popular, the free flow of data. This will ensure end-to-end privacy and security which will be growing concerns for the wireless internet of the future. 5NINE software will eliminate the current barrier that exists between the wired and wireless internets by opening up the wireless application protocol (WAP) to the wired internet. 5NINE's head office is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Additional information about 5NINE can be found at http://www.5nine.net/.

About ITPS Group

Founded in February 1999, ITPS Group is a Linux based software development firm. Since its incorporation, ITPS provides consulting services to develop WAP technology and Linux based solutions. Additional information about ITPS can be found at http://www.itpsgroup.com/.