CyberTrust Introduces The First Secure Mobile E-Commerce Solution For High-Value Transactions Over Wireless Extranets.

Business/Technology Editors

NEEDHAM HEIGHTS, Mass. and HELSINKI, Finland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Jan. 18, 2000

Enables Wireless Users to Securely Conduct Everything

from Financial Transfers to Bill Presentment Via Cell Phone

CyberTrust, the leading enabler of secure extranets and e-commerce and Sonera SmartTrust, the leading provider of secure wireless e-commerce solutions, today announced the CyberTrust Mobile E-Commerce Solution. First implemented for Sonera SmartTrust, the solution enables wireless carriers to provide customers with applications for mobile e-commerce transactions via secure extranets--protected online environments where parties can conduct business. This unique solution enables businesses to quickly and cost-effectively create secure, customized access to corporate resources and data.

"The CyberTrust Mobile E-Commerce Solution is a key enabler of our service," said Harri Vatanen, president of Sonera SmartTrust. "Providing our customers with the highest level of transaction security and authentication assured by CyberTrust digital certificates, Sonera goes beyond simply presenting information over mobile networks--we give our customers the ability to conduct secure high-value transactions by simply using their mobile phone conveniently when and where they want."

In co-operation with Sonera SmartTrust, the Finnish Leonia Bank will allow customers to securely conduct bank transactions over its mobile network with the help of CyberTrust's digital certificate technology.

"Leonia's new service system embraces security and ease-of-use. Banking services--independent from time or place--are already easier to access in Finland due to the fast development of mobile phone infrastructure. Mobile phones with Internet connections will become personal, pocket-sized service centers, offering an easy and secure way to use banking and other network services," says Mr. Matti Inha, Executive Vice President at Leonia Bank.

The CyberTrust Mobile E-Commerce Solution manages digital certificates and deploys them to the subscriber identification module (SIM) which work in conjunction with digital mobile phones. Because the phone's SIM card uses public-key cryptography techniques, in which a CyberTrust digital certificate securely identifies each user, the transaction is legally binding in a number of jurisdictions, while also creating an electronic audit trail, which provides the added assurance that the transaction cannot be repudiated. This enables digital mobile phone users to use digital signatures to conduct a wide variety of high-value transactions--such as bill presentment, stock trading and banking--over a wireless network, while enjoying the same level of data integrity and in many jurisdictions, the non-repudiation assurance provided by signed paper transactions. "Until now, wireless technology has focused on presenting information--not securing it," said Peter J. Hussey, president of CyberTrust. "By applying CyberTrust's expertise in designing secure extranets to mobile telecommunications technology such as that developed by Sonera SmartTrust, we have raised the convenience and accessibility of business-to-business transactions to a whole new level."

Expanding The Secure Extranet Strategy

CyberTrust's secure wireless extranet solution is a natural expansion of the company's traditional secure extranet methodology. CyberTrust Secure Extranets extend well beyond the minimal security provided by passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs), enabling customers to transact business in the online, electronic world with security assurances equivalent to those in the offline, paper world. By extending the secure extranet to the wireless world, mobile service providers can now offer their customers--and application providers such as banks, stock brokerages and insurance providers--secure access to information through the convenience of a wireless network.

"Secure Internet communications, facilitated by public key infrastructure (PKI), will awaken the sleeping beast of mobile e-commerce," said Matthew Kovar, senior analyst, the Yankee Group, a Boston-based technology research and consulting firm. "Digital certificate technology has existed for over five years, and only now are we seeing the pertinent commercial applications that can take full advantage of certificates for privacy, authentication and non-repudiation such as those supported by CyberTrust and Sonera."

Standards

The CyberTrust Mobile E-Commerce Solution and Sonera SmartTrust Platform are designed for wireless phones operating on the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard--currently the only standard to support secure mobile e-commerce. CyberTrust and Sonera are committed to developing secure Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) based products and services that meet today's standards such as GSM and CDMA and future global wireless standards.

ABOUT SONERA SMARTTRUST

Sonera SmartTrust Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sonera, is a global leader in wireless e-commerce services and solutions based on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). More information on Sonera SmartTrust to be found http://www.smarttrust.com

ABOUT SONERA

Sonera is an international forerunner in mobile, data and media communications, with subsidiaries and associated companies in 14 countries. Sonera is listed both on Helsinki Exchanges (SRA) and on NASDAQ (SNRA). Sonera's vision is to become one of the world's leading mobile-based communications operators providing mobile communications services to which a large selection of content and transaction services are connected. In 1998, Sonera's revenues amounted to USD 1.9 billion and the profit before extraordinary items and taxes was USD 404 million. Information about Sonera can be found on the Internet at http://www.sonera.com

ABOUT CYBERTRUST

CyberTrust is the leading enabler of secure extranets and e-commerce for organizations extending their high-value relationships to the Web. The CyberTrust Secure Extranet Method establishes a first-in-market standard for certificate-enabled extranets that support privilege-based user access, data confidentiality, audit trails and digitally signed, binding transactions. Through our global network of partners, CyberTrust offers the industry's most complete suite of public key infrastructure-based products, outsourcing service and consulting. CyberTrust is a GTE company headquartered in Needham Heights, Mass., with offices in Washington, D.C., London, England and Sapporo, Japan. You can learn more about CyberTrust at www.cybertrust.com.

ABOUT LEONIA

Leonia is Finland's second largest banking and financial group in terms of total assets. Leonia's domestic market share at the end of September 1999 was 19.6% in loans and advances to customers and 15.7% in deposits. Leonia offers its banking products and services to retail, corporate and institutional customers through its nation-wide branch network. The bank also offers a 24 hour WebBank and telephone bank service. In October 1999, Leonia and the leading Finnish insurance company Sampo announced a plan to merge in 2000/2001 to form Sampo-Leonia, a full service financial group. Further information about Leonia can be found on the Internet at http://www.leonia.fi