Aether Systems Announces Acquisition of Sunpro.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

OWINGS MILLS, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 2000

Leader in Fire Safety Technology to Join Recent Acquisition,

Cerulean, Expanding Aether's Presence in Public Safety and

Mobile Government

Aether Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: AETH), a leading provider of wireless data products and services, announced today that it has acquired Sunpro, a leader in fire and emergency medical software and solutions.

Based in Zillah, Washington, Sunpro's software products are in use by over 2,000 fire service agencies. The cash transaction is valued at approximately $10.8 million.

Sunpro and its products will become a part of the services offered by Cerulean Technology, Inc., a company acquired by Aether earlier this month. Cerulean is the market leader for wireless and mobile software products in public safety with over 45,000 users at 700 public safety agencies.

By combining the resources of Sunpro and Cerulean, Aether will gain a stronger presence in the public safety and `mobile government' market, which includes public works, municipal services, health and human services, courts and corrections, and municipal utilities and other government agencies across federal, state and local levels.

Prior to the acquisition, Sunpro had been working closely with Cerulean on a new suite of integrated mobile solutions. Last month, Cerulean announced a partnership with Sunpro to develop a powerful, single mobile records management (RMS) solution to more than 2,000 Sunpro fire service agency customers.

The new product - PacketCluster Rescue for FireRMS 5.0 - will enable fire and rescue personnel to quickly access vital emergency information from wireless mobile computers based in responding engines, ladder trucks, supervisory and emergency vehicles or handheld devices.

"This acquisition continues Aether's strategy to establish a leadership position in the vertical market we have identified as 'mobile government," said Aether Chairman and CEO David S. Oros. "We look forward to a successful integration of Sunpro's leading technology and products with those offered by Cerulean to accomplish this goal."

"The combination of Sunpro's fire/EMS application with Cerulean's leading technology, backed by Aether's world class wireless services is good news for fire and EMS agencies," said Bob Badavas, CEO of Cerulean Technology. "With the combined expertise of Cerulean and Sunpro, we will help public safety agencies implement innovative mobile applications for a wide array of devices."

"By joining Aether and Cerulean, Sunpro has a tremendous opportunity to meet the evolving needs of our fire and EMS customer base," said Ken McAllister, CEO of Sunpro. "Cerulean's open, standards-based approach to integration is consistent with our business philosophy and enhances our ability to leverage our long-standing strategic alliances with industry leaders, while exploring business partnerships with other best-in-class public safety and technology vendors."

Together, Cerulean and Sunpro will enable fire service personnel to immediately access up-to-date emergency and rescue information on mobile devices, including:

-- Daily rosters of all on-duty and off-duty fire and EMS personnel.

-- Occupancy information such as building construction and property contents.

-- Information about preventive systems, including alarms, sprinkler systems
and most recent system inspection dates.

With access to this type of information while en route to the scene, fire and emergency crews can more accurately prepare an incident action plan that will be effective from the moment they arrive. The intended result is an improved emergency response time and personnel safety on the scene.

About Cerulean Technology, Inc.

Marlborough, Mass.-based Cerulean Technology, Inc., is the leader in wireless application solutions for mobile workforces in public safety. More than 45,000 users at 700 public safety agencies use Cerulean software to keep neighborhoods and streets safer across the United States. Cerulean's PacketCluster represents the de facto standard in public safety mobile applications.

As part of its Mobile Government strategy, Cerulean plans to offer additional wireless mobile applications to meet the needs of other segments of the public sector, across federal, state and local agencies. Cerulean's products are sold through a direct sales force and a network of worldwide business partners. For more information, visit Cerulean's Web-site at www.cerulean.com.

About Sunpro

Headquartered in Zillah, Washington, Sunpro has been developing and marketing mission-critical fire department records management systems (RMS) since 1984. In response to the current development markets, Sunpro has developed two very unique and effective FireRMS applications used by over 2,000 fire and emergency medical service agencies.

One is a true client/server application operating within a Windows networking environment (FireRMS 5.0) while the other is a JAVA based client/server applet operating within a standard web browser over the internet/intranet (FireRMS.com). Since the needs of individual fire departments can very greatly, Sunpro products are designed from the ground up to be highly user configurable.

Sunpro Mobile Command for Cerulean PacketCluster Rescue is a new mobile product which allows agencies to access their FireRMS database utilizing various handheld computing devices. Sunpro products are available directly from direct sales, authorized dealers and leading industry CAD vendors. More information visit the Sunpro Web-site at www.sunpro1.com

About Aether Systems

Aether Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of wireless and mobile data products and services allowing real-time communications and transactions across a full range of devices and networks.

Using its engineering expertise, the ScoutWare(TM) family of products including the Aether Intelligent Messaging (AIM) software platform, and its network operations and customer care center, Aether seeks to provide comprehensive, technology-independent wireless and mobile computing solutions.

Aether develops and delivers wireless data services across a variety of industries and market segments in the United States and internationally. For more information, please visit www.aethersystems.com

This press release includes forward-looking statements based on current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions about Aether that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements.

Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the ability of Aether and Sunpro to successfully integrate their technologies and business, the ability to offer services on a cost-effective basis and market acceptance of products developed by Aether.

These risks and other risk factors are described in Aether's report on Form 10-K with respect to the fiscal year ending December 31, 1999 and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Aether undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.