AvantGo Empowers BG's Leading Lights With Mobile Intranet and Internet Access; Mobile Software Gives International Energy Company an Advantage in Customer Care and Business Management.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2000

Top executives at BG Group plc, formerly British Gas plc, are benefiting from handheld access to their corporate intranet using technology from AvantGo, Inc., the authority in managing mobile information.

AvantGo Enterprise(TM) delivers essential business data to the Palm Computing devices of more than 250 members of the BG `Leadership Group' around the world. Drawing information from BG's award winning intranet, Kite, the new system enables mobile BG executives to instantly access up-to-date briefing documents, positioning papers, skills databases and contacts directories.

Tom O'Connor, head of knowledge management systems at BG Group plc, said: "With AvantGo, our employees have access to the information that's vital to our business wherever they may be in the world. Executives can respond to any situation on the fly because they can instantly tap into facts and figures, corporate messages and data about all our projects around the world. The AvantGo solution also enables them to identify, anywhere and at any time, the appropriate experts within BG who they can contact for further assistance."

Phil Hibberd, vice president of AvantGo Europe, said: "What really sets this implementation apart is that BG are rolling out AvantGo technology to their top level decision makers from the word go. It shows that a state of the art mobile product that's user friendly and intuitive can provide real business benefits to employees across the whole company not just sales or field-based staff."

AvantGo Enterprise offers users of both Palm OS and Windows CE devices instant access to networked applications and Web content, either in real-time using a wireless connection, or via their normal synchronisation process with a desktop PC. Comprising server, client and connector applications, the mobile solution automatically consolidates, compresses and transfers essential information for handheld access.

Support for WAP-enabled mobile phones has recently been added to AvantGo software. Through partnerships with OpenSky, Novatel Wireless, AT&T Wireless and the WAP Forum, the new initiative enables the delivery of Web information to any wireless device.

Central administration and security are key features of AvantGo Enterprise. Using any Web browser and proper authentication, system administrators can roll out new applications and data to mobile users and groups of users. Featuring 128-bit and 56-bit SSL encryption, the updated server software delivers end-to-end security with the ability for administrators to store and transmit passwords securely.

Tom O'Connor added: "Implementation and administration of the system has been very straightforward. It's proved equally simple for users to set up individual preferences on their own device."

According to Tom O'Connor, AvantGo software now allows BG executives to use their handheld devices on three levels. In addition to the intranet functionality provided by AvantGo Enterprise and standard personal organiser features (diary, address book etc), they can also access valuable internet content through AvantGo's free personalised internet service, AvantGo Mobile Internet.

Available as a free download, AvantGo Mobile Internet allows mobile device users to select personalised content from leading Web sites. The service's intelligent tracking and compression technology enables access to a vast amount of content. Over 350 optimised news, sports, financial, weather and entertainment channels are available including FT.com, The Economist, lastminute.com, ITN Online, StockSmart and Excite.

BG is now considering extending AvantGo technology to other groups within the company -- the latest graduate intake has been issued Palm devices supporting AvantGo to familiarise themselves with handheld working.

Tom O'Connor said: "The beauty of AvantGo's software is its multi-platform support. If in the future we decide to roll out Windows CE devices, or even WAP phones, our AvantGo system will work just as effectively without further investment."

About BG

BG Group has just under 20,000 employees worldwide. Its principal businesses are Transco, Great Britain's primary gas transporter, which operates a network of about 275,000 kilometres of pipes serving more than 20 million gas users; BG International, whose business is gas and oil exploration and production, and the development and supply of international gas markets. BG International has interests in some 20 countries.

About AvantGo

The authority in managing mobile information, AvantGo, Inc. wirelessly extends Internet, intranet and extranet applications to handheld computers based on the Palm and Windows CE platforms, as well as Internet-enabled phones. With its core products, AvantGo Enterprise(TM) for Fortune 1000 companies and the AvantGo mobile Internet service for individuals on the go, the company helps organisations stay closer to their customers. Using AvantGo, today hundreds of thousands of individuals are accessing free, interactive and personalised content from more than 350 leading media providers and thousands of user-submitted sites. For more information, please visit the company's web site at www.avantgo.com or call [phone] or 650/638-3399 in the United States.

Note to Editors: AvantGo, AvantGo Enterprise, the AvantGo logo and 'the authority in managing mobile information' are trademarks of AvantGo, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.