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Press release

Thus rolls out WAP service to Demon customer base

Customers on the move now have access to a range of WAP content through Demon, the Internet brand of Thus.

Its service, Demon Now, has been designed to give mobile users access to particular content for WAP and real-time information, as well as send and receive email. Demon customers can now access Demon content whenever and wherever they are.

The new service has been developed after Thus linked up with Nokia earlier this year to provide WAP solutions.

"There's been a lot of interest in WAP and what it can and cannot do," said Cynthia Gordon, brand marketing director at Thus plc. "Our emphasis is not on surfing the Internet, it's about providing specific, focused services, such as access to the emails our customers have not read since they were last on their PC, or finding out the football score when out shopping on a Saturday. WAP is about delivering specific, relevant and concise information."

"We see that by adding this type of mobile functionality to the Demon services, we are offering value with more targeted content, which will meet our customers' needs without raising unrealistic expectations. The service fits with our overall strategy of delivering services over a variety of platforms, enabling the business user access to email and other particular WAP content while on the road, and in a timely manner."

In the initial phase, customers will be able to use a service to read and reply to emails and access content from their mobile phones, via WAP. This will be done remotely from their existing Demon account so there will be no need to set up a new account. The emails will also be sent to the customer's PC, so when they return to the office or home, the same emails can be read there.

Plans are also underway for employees of Demon corporate customers to be able to access corporate information from their WAP-enabled mobile phones. This will provide employees with mobile access to company news, employee contact directories and business critical information.

Demon users will have enhanced information availability through access to the Teleshare (share portfolio), Marinecall (inshore/coastal forecasts), ClubCall (football clubs), Racecall (horse racing information) and Weathercall (local UK forecasts) centres hosted by Thus, as well as continually updated news information. These services will be followed up later in the year with more corporate and SME-specific offerings, such as time scheduling systems.

Thus has developed further WAP services for business customers of its Demon Internet Service Provider. It will also be offering WAP hosting for the corporate and SME markets, so customers currently using Thus' Web hosting services can now be WAP-enabled. Key customers will therefore be able to access scaled down Web information.

Demon Now is available to current or new Demon SDU (Standard Dial-Up) account holders. They can register on the Demon Web site, at www.demon.net/DemonNow, where they will find the necessary information for configuring their phone.

"Demon has always been at the forefront of Internet technology and Demon was recently voted number one for quality in an independent survey on ISPs by J.D. Power, the US-based global marketing firm. We are keeping abreast of the latest mobile technologies to introduce to our users - and will be in a position to meet the opportunities presented by UMTS in two or three years' time," said Cynthia Gordon.

Calls will be charged at an 0845 rate levied by the mobile network operator.