Leading Education Company Bridges Digital Divide; Learning Pays and Wireless Fusion Partnership to Deliver School Information Via Web-Enabled Appliances.

Business Editors/Technology & Education Writers

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 6, 2000

A new strategic alliance between Learning Pays.com and Wireless Fusion means parents no longer have to own a computer, be computer literate or sit behind a desktop computer to access Web-based school information about their children.

Learning Pays Founder and CEO Mark Thimmig announced the exclusive partnership today during his speech at the First Silicon Central eConference in Lexington, KY, where In Search of Excellence Author Tom Peters and Oracle Corporation's Ralph Seferian are also speaking.

The alliance will enable features of Learning Pays' Web-based School Tool(SM) to be delivered through such wireless devices as a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)-compliant cell phones, wireless-enabled palm computers and other handheld PCs, TV set-top boxes, pagers, and even a standard telephone.

Learning Pays, a leading education technology company, is the first e-learning company to offer this multi-delivery capability. All School Tool(SM) users will be able to access many of its features, including homework assignments, individual and school-related calendars and information about extracurricular activities.

Accessing information from the School Tool(SM) will be as easy as dialing a 1-800 number, then punching in an I.D. and password. Homework entered by a teacher, for example, is translated from text to voice and easily captured over the telephone. According to Peter Somera, Wireless Fusion director, parents can even scroll through verbal headlines that allow them to choose only the information they need. Through Wireless Fusion's Integrated Voice Response (IVR) system, which translates text to speech, callers can easily navigate the voice menus using the numbers on their touch-tone telephones to access data.

"Going wireless is a major step toward helping to close the Digital Divide and bringing valuable Web-based school information to people despite their knowledge of or access to a computer," said Thimmig. "If you have a telephone, you'll be able to dial a number to access your child's homework assignments for the day, find out when the school play is scheduled and get the latest details on soccer tryouts.

"No matter what device you're comfortable using, you'll be able to tap into the School Tool(SM) anywhere and anytime. This is a first-ever seamless and fully-integrated feature and is a huge free benefit to all School Tool(SM) users."

Wireless Fusion specializes in Wireless Internetworking Solutions, providing consulting in the areas of wireless technical architecture, infrastructure and voice-enabled wireless application development and customization. Wirelessfusion.com is a division focused on providing a Wireless Application Service Provider (WASP) platform to deliver complex wireless integration and hosting services and solutions.

The Wireless Fusion suite of solutions provides anytime, anywhere access to portals and applications through a gateway that enables wireless devices to access and interact with traditional web content and applications. This is accomplished through a proprietary solution that leverages industry standard XML, WML, HDML, WAP and VXML protocols and technology. The company is developing for Learning Pays a proprietary integrated system using these standard technologies to allow members to access the School Tool Oracle database through Internet-enabled palm devices, WAP-compliant mobile phones, and standard touch-tone telephones.

"We selected Wireless Fusion to implement this service because of their advanced technology, proven track record and the impressive background of their founders," said Thimmig. "No other firm we've found is so dedicated to bringing accessibility to computers to a broad audience."

Wireless message retrieval has become a popular offering of banks, finance companies as well as other education firms, but no one has a service like this one, explains Somera. "Using state-of-the-art technology - such as Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems that translate text to speech - our company is helping to cut loose the wires and bring freedom and empowerment to people who need to access real data from computers," he said. "Accessibility is now broadened to a larger audience. Teachers, students and parents who are too busy, don't have a computer or on the road don't have to worry about finding a desk-top computer."

About Learning Pays:

Learning Pays.com is a comprehensive e-learning technology company whose mission is to provide tools and services that help improve student achievement, lower costs and streamline school operations. Learning Pays.com markets integrated applications that deliver the first end-to-end solution to education institutions accessible through one secure Web-top to meet virtually every operational, educational and communications need.

Learning Pays' School Tool(SM) applications, which include an interactive calendaring system, online registration for school activities, school-related e-commerce, access to homework and progress reports, individualized assignments, same-grade chats and links to real-time Web-cameras at school events, can be customized to fit the individual needs of each school. Both public and private schools can select from a comprehensive list of applications and add their own, such as fund-raising or community news.

The company's e-solutions group helps educators with applications for student administration, accounting, and human resources. Learning Pays also has an e-services consulting division that provides schools with technology assessment, training, design and installation services, and the industry's first grants consulting service to assist schools with funding for technology initiatives.

About Wireless Fusion:

Wireless Fusion assists a variety of businesses implement technology that allows employees and customers to access real-time data via a variety of wireless Internet-enabled devices. The company was founded in 1999 by a group of wireless and computer engineers and IT consultants, coming from such high-tech firms as IBM, Motorola, Softbank, Sprint and Sony. The founders bring over 80 years of experience in the wireless technology, engineering and consulting fields.

The firm's other clients include Target-one Technologies and several Latin American Carriers, such as ICE in Costa Rica and Intelig in Brazil, in addition to other carriers currently under negotiations.