Connect One And NAMS Create the World's First Dial-Up Energy Meter That Sends and Receives E-Mail Without a Gateway.

Business Editors, High-Tech Writers

Embedded Systems Conference Spring 2000

Booth no. 1154

KFAR SABA, ISRAEL and TEL-AVIV, ISRAEL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 23, 2000

Internet-enabled Electronic Meters Will Save Utility

Companies and Consumers Millions of Dollars Annually

Connect One(TM), the leading provider of Internet-enabling technology solutions, and NAMS Ltd., manufacturer of state-of-the-art electronic energy meters, power line carrier communications systems and remote metering systems, today announced the immediate availability of the NMM-AKB watt-hour meter with embedded Internet protocols provided by Connect One's iModem(TM).

The NMM-AKB electricity meter, manufactured by NAMS, Ltd., is a multi-rate, three-phase, direct connection 10 (100) amp meter, intended for indoor installation by residential and industrial customers. The NMM-AKB meter utilizes Connect One's embedded iModem, a drop-in replacement for a standard analog dial-up modem. iModem sends and receives data as an e-mail message via a dial-up connection to an Internet Service Provider's (ISP) local access number, without connecting to a PC or local area network gateway.

"With e-mail messaging inside our electronic meter, we can transfer data between our smart meters and our centralized management and billing system cost-effectively," said Roy Kariv, NAMS' vice president of marketing. "Consumption data now can be uploaded from all of our Energy Service Providers' customers on the same day and when phone rates are lowest. Plus, we can send out new rates to every meter with just a single e-mail."

Connect One's iModem receives electricity consumption and load data from the meter, then packages the data inside an e-mail message, dials the ISP and sends the message to a mailbox at the electric company. Each iModem can be scheduled to download files from a mailbox at the utility and to update the meter's firmware. The meter's tariff generator software is also externally updateable. New tariff schedules are simply downloaded in an e-mail message from the utility's central office to the meter's embedded iModem. Billing data and load profile can be uploaded from the meter to the central office on a regularly scheduled basis.

iModem is a family of compact embedded and stand-alone modems that supports data transfer rates from 2,400 baud through 56 Kbits per second and operates in both analog and Internet modes. The embedded iModem takes a 5VDC signal from the host processor and invokes simple, yet powerful Internet Protocol commands to run the PPP, UDP, TCP/IP, SMTP, POP3 and MIME protocols for sending and receiving e-mail messages without requiring a gateway.

"Embedding TCP/IP and e-mail protocols inside the utility meter will save consumers millions of dollars annually," said Alan Singer, vice president of sales and marketing at Connect One. "E-mail is an ideal communications solution for automated meter reading by utility companies. Because files are transmitted as e-mail, utilities no longer need as much infrastructure, so they can cut down on operating and capital costs."

Internet Connectivity on a Chip:

The Internet engine inside iModem is Connect One's iChip(TM) co-processor, an Internet peripheral chip that mediates the connection between the Internet and a host device processor, enabling it to send and receive e-mail. iChip includes 256 KB of on-board flash memory for storing and updating the Internet protocols. iChip speeds time-to-market for new Internet-enabled designs by eliminating the need for a major hardware redesign or a new operating system.

About NMM-AKB:

NAMS' NMM-AKB is a multi-rate, programmable, three-phase kWh electronic meter with advanced software functions that facilitate accurate and flexible billing. The meter features a time-of-use table that includes tables for listing the season, the day of week, holidays, and a table that assigns each season, day group, holiday and/or time of day to a specific tariff. The meter performs an invoicing function by writing into memory the power consumption accumulated by the meter plus the fixed charges on the date of invoice, which are added to previous customer account data.

Pricing and Availability:

The NMM-AKB meter is currently available internationally from NAMS Ltd., http://www.nisko-metering.com. iModem is available from Connect One Ltd., http://www.connectone.com. Pricing information is available from both companies upon request.

Nisko's Internet-enabled meter will be demonstrated at Connect One's booth no. 1154 at the Embedded Systems Conference Spring 2000, to be held between February 29 and March 2 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.

About Connect One Ltd.:

Connect One develops and manufactures chips, software, and hardware that enable industrial, commercial and consumer devices to connect to the Internet. iChip is an embedded TCP/IP peripheral chip that Internet-enables next-generation devices. iWare(TM) is an embedded software solution for host processors. iModem is a stand-alone or embedded Internet modem replacement for a standard telephone modem. Fax Messenger(TM) is an e-mail/Internet fax appliance that enables any G3 fax machine to send and receive e-mail and Internet faxes. Based in Kfar Saba, Israel, Connect One is privately owned. For further information, please visit the company's web site at http://www.connectone.com or send an e-mail to [e-mail]

About NAMS Ltd.:

NAMS is a world leader in electronic energy meters for the residential, commercial and industrial market segments, Power Line Carrier (PLC) communication systems, and remote metering systems. Targeted to electric distribution utilities and Energy Service Providers, and implemented as comprehensive, turnkey solutions, NAMS' systems are offered in combination with finance packages and a broad range of support and operating services. With the transformation of the global power industry into a restructured, privatized, and deregulated market, the Company's wide variety of multi-function, multi-tariff, smart-card based prepayment and high-precision meters prove to be the most effective tools for cutting revenue losses and improving distribution system operation. Using NAMS' PLC solutions, utilities can now provide customers with new value-added services such as high-speed communication access to the home and office. A Nisko Group company, NAMS is headquartered in Tel-Aviv, Israel, and has subsidiary companies and manufacturing plants in several countries. For further information, please visit the company's web site at www.nisko-metering.com or send an e-mail to [e-mail].

iChip, iModem, iWare, Fax Messenger, and Connect One are trademarks of Connect One Ltd.