MDSI Announces Contract with Memphis Light, Gas and Water.

RICHMOND, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 1999--

MDSI Mobile Data(NASDAQ:MDSI) (TSE:MMD.) (ME:MMD.) MDSI to rollout Advantex-Utility to largest three-service municipal utility in U.S.

MDSI Mobile Data Solutions Inc. ("MDSI" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: MDSI; TSE, ME: MMD) announced today that it has signed an agreement with Memphis Light, Gas and Water ("MLGW") of Memphis, Tennessee, the largest three-service, publicly-owned utility in the U.S., for the implementation of its Advantex(TM)-Utility mobile workforce management solution to approximately 240 mobile workers. The value of the contract is approximately US$1 million (approximately C$1.5 million) which represents software and services.

MDSI's enterprisewide workforce management solution is part of a larger project at MLGW to integrate its IT infrastructure. Increasingly, utilities are moving from isolated, departmental systems created by decades of regulation to integrated, enterprisewide solutions that help manage a wider range of business processes and virtually all of the work the companies perform. Custom, in-house systems are being replaced with open, interoperable solutions that seamlessly exchange data from the call center right through to the field crews.

Advantex will replace existing voice- and paper-based dispatching activities that support the delivery of electric, gas, and water services to over 400,000 customers in Memphis and the Shelby County areas. The system will initially be interfaced to MLGW's legacy customer information system (CIS). Advantex will receive customer service work from the CIS, schedule mobile resources against the workload, update the CIS with work order status information received wirelessly from the field in real-time, allow mobile resources to query the CIS for additional information, and transmit order completion information from the field to the CIS.

Ultimately, Advantex will be interfaced to MLGW's new CIS solution, SCT's Banner(R) Customer Management System. Combined with the powerful Banner customer management solution modules, Advantex provides multiple benefits, including improved resource planning and scheduling, enhanced customer service, and greater operational efficiencies. MDSI(TM) has multiple utility customer sites where a working interface already exists between Advantex and SCT's Banner solution.

Kenneth O. Cole, Vice President, Customer Service and Marketing at MLGW commented, "We see IT sophistication as a key component of achieving a strong competitive position, and much is now possible due to advances in mobile computing technology and wireless data communications. Advantex provides us with the enterprisewide workforce management and wireless capabilities we need to reduce operating costs while improving customer care."

Bill Mahoney, President of SCT Energy, Utilities & Communications, a market unit of SCT Corporation said, "We are delighted that MLGW will be using SCT's Banner Customer Management Suite to support their strategies in extending quality customer relationships. The Advantex interface to Banner further exhibits the importance of a comprehensive system for achieving quality customer service, customer retention and breakthrough business results."

Ken Miller, CEO of MDSI, stated, "Utility companies such as MLGW are increasingly seeking integrated, enterprisewide IT infrastructures. While extending the benefits of workforce management across the enterprise, Advantex also answers the need for open, interoperable software solutions that interface seamlessly with other business-critical enterprise applications." Miller adds, "Advantex's sophisticated capabilities will help MLGW offer its multiple services by more efficiently managing the mobile workforce and its diverse workload."

Advantex-Utility helps electric, gas, and water utility companies manage and empower mobile resources that are key to the delivery of customer service, like field service technicians, in order to facilitate customer acquisition, retention and service innovation. Advantex schedules appointments so service requests are dealt with promptly and customers are guaranteed specific appointment times. It automatically assigns tasks to the most appropriate mobile resource, based on skill set or other factors, so that the job gets done right the first time. Advantex automatically distributes the workload, so dispatchers can focus on emergency situations and serve larger workforces and territories. It transmits job status information to the office so dispatchers can monitor progress "at-a-glance" and reprioritize orders. Advantex empowers mobile workers through access to critical corporate information systems, like customer records, billing and inventory, and through interactive messaging with dispatchers. Advantex also reports on performance to help senior management make decisions. And it all happens wirelessly, in real-time.

About Memphis Light, Gas and Water

Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) was founded in 1939 and supplies more than 400,000 people in Memphis and Shelby County area with electricity, natural gas, and water. The largest three-service municipal utility system in the U.S., MLGW is publicly owned and is composed of more than 2,600 employees working to achieve the company's vision of being the "company of choice" for utility services in the competitive 21st century. More importantly, MLGW is concerned with providing personalized utility service with some of the lowest rates in the nation. This year, MLGW is celebrating its 60th anniversary as the public power company for the people of Memphis.

About SCT

SCT is a recognized leader in providing advanced technology solutions designed to meet the global needs of utilities, energy service companies and communications companies. Its leading-edge software and services enable comprehensive customer aggregation and fulfillment strategies for clients moving aggressively into the age of deregulation. SCT enables clients to achieve breakthrough results by leveraging their key relationships. Relationship leverage initiatives - from CRM and supply chain management to e-commerce and distance learning - require organizations to use information in fundamentally different ways. SCT's unique and powerful relationship leverage solutions combine application software and services to deliver benefits rapidly. SCT operates globally, providing specific solutions for four industry markets: education; energy, utilities and communications; process manufacturing and distribution, and courts and local government. SCT has over 3,700 employees and serves approximately 2,500 clients worldwide. The company is headquartered in Malvern, Pa. For more information, browse the SCT Web site at www.sctcorp.com.

About MDSI

MDSI Mobile Data Solutions is the leading provider of business applications and mobility solutions for companies that fully integrate mobile resources with the enterprise. MDSI designs, develops, implements, and supports solutions for the utility, telecommunications, cable, field service, insurance, and state and local government markets worldwide. With the Advantex product suite, professional services, and strategic business alliances, MDSI business solutions extend the enterprise to mobile resources, and draw mobile resources completely into the enterprise. Founded in 1993, MDSI now has major operations in the U.S. and Canada, multiple support offices around the world, and a large customer list that includes industry leaders such as AT&T Wireless Services, Belgacom, Cablevision Systems Corporation, Cox Communications, Detroit Edison, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Pacific Gas & Electric, Reliant Energy, San Diego Gas & Electric, Tele Danmark and Telenor.

MDSI and Advantex are trademarks of MDSI Mobile Data Solutions Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.