1Spatial Holdings Regulatory News (SPA)

8 Mar 2006 07:02

Z Group PLC08 March 2006 8 March 2006 Z GROUP PLC Release of Internet acceleration software for mobile phones ONSPEED Mobile delivers faster, more effective and more affordable access to the Internet In line with its current product roll out strategy, Z GROUP, the marketing-ledtechnology services company, announces a major new product launch today with therelease of a mobile software download branded ONSPEED Mobile. The new softwareaddresses a current potential worldwide market of 500 million Java-enabledmobile phones and complements the existing ONSPEED suite of products for Dial-upand Broadband users. Web browsing on mobiles is very slow and associated data charges are expensive,with the web pages being very difficult to view. ONSPEED Mobile fundamentallychanges the web browsing experience. Its unique technology both compresses webpages by up to 80%, thus providing a 5 times increase in access speeds and,using ONSPEED Mobile's Mobile Screen Reformatting technology (MSR), optimisesthe display of the web page for the particular size of mobile screen, therebymaking web pages faster to load and very easy to read. Since web page data iscompressed, ONSPEED Mobile will also reduce the mobile data costs associatedwith web browsing by up to 75% Installing ONSPEED Mobile is as easy as downloading a new ringtone or game andthe software has been designed to be simple to use and quick to navigate. Meghan Cady, Marketing Director of Z GROUP, said: "Many mobile phone users refrain from using their Internet functionality due toprohibitive cost and slow connection speeds. Many websites when accessed througha mobile phone are not only slow, but cumbersome to navigate and difficult toread. ONSPEED Mobile has been designed to solve these problems." Jack Bekhor, joint CEO of Z GROUP, added: "This breakthrough new product addresses a massive global customer base andestablishes a clear lead in a market that continues to show rapid growth. Webelieve ONSPEED Mobile will prove to be a significant revenue generator for thegroup." ONSPEED Mobile will be launched initially in the UK, Germany, Italy, France,Spain, Russia and the US. ONSPEED Mobile is available from www.onspeedmobile.com as a 50-100KB download.ONSPEED Mobile will also be available through all of Z GROUP's existing retailoutlets. It is priced at £19.99 after a 14-day free trial. ONSPEED Mobile features include: • Increased Internet connection speeds - up to 5 times faster • Reduction in associated mobile costs to the end user by up to 75% • Seamless integration with mobile experience • Dynamic compression in real time • Web content adjustment to fit phone display through Mobile Screen Reformatting technology (MSR) • Compatibility with virtually all mobile phones, including low-end and mid-end handsets. About Z GROUP Founded in 2002, Z GROUP is a successful, publicly listed London-basedtechnology company which acquires, licences and develops technologies andprofitably commercialises them through proven branded marketing techniques,offering cutting edge, easy to use and affordable software. With over half a million customers to date, Z GROUP has four software businesslines: • ONSPEED Mobile: unique mobile phone acceleration software, which speeds up and optimises slow Internet connections and helps users control associated costs • ONSPEED: the fastest Internet acceleration software on the market, which instantly enables any PC, Mac and Pocket PC user to browse and email at near Broadband speeds by using a 9-patented compression technology • Net2Roam and NetAway: services that allow individuals and SMEs to obtain local Dial-up access numbers worldwide at rates below normal international rates • Onbidder: a service that integrates into eBay, making a user's bid at the last second of an auction - giving the user the best chance to win their item at the best possible price. For more information on the group, visit www.zgroupplc.com Enquiries: Z GROUP PLCJack Bekhor/Jamie True, Joint Chief Executive Officers 08700 111 173Saskia Hopmann, Public Relations 020 7952 4026Holborn PRDavid Bick/Mike Feltham 020 7929 5599Panmure Gordon & CoAubrey Powell/Stuart Gledhill 020 7459 3600 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange