Fast Search & TransferTM (FASTTM, the leading developer of enterprise search and real-time alerting technologies, and Vodafone, the world's largest mobile community, today announced that FAST Data SearchTM has been selected as the mobile search platform for Vodafone live!.
The new search facility on Vodafone live! Enables customers to use their mobile handsets to search across an extensive portfolio of content and an index of worldwide WAP content using a hosted installation of FAST Data Search. This enables Vodafone to quickly connect its customers to relevant services within the Vodafone live! Offering as well as to the mobile Internet. The service is already live in Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, with the UK scheduled early next year.
"Providing our customers with access to the information and entertainment content they want, when they need it, is one of our key aims with Vodafone live!," said Guy Laurence, Global Marketing Director- Global Products and Content Services, at Vodafone. "The integration of a mobile search function that is quick and easy to use, is the latest addition to Vodafone live! ensuring that our customers' experience is first class every time."
"FAST strives to provide mission-critical search solutions for enterprises with the most complex information retrieval situations, as well as to further develop its search technology for deployment with the latest technological advancements," said John M. Lervik, chief executive officer of FAST. "Vodafone live! is clearly taking mobile services to the next step by allowing customers quick access to entertainment and information services through integrated camera phones. We are pleased that Vodafone has selected FAST to improve the overall search experience of its Vodafone live! offering."
The FAST Data Search suite of enterprise search solutions offers the most comprehensive combination available of powerful real-time search technology, business search management tools, and information analysis capabilities. FAST Data Search enables companies and organizations to develop information transparency and utilization across organizational units and geographical areas. This results in improved efficiency through collaboration, information sharing, and real-time data monitoring and filtering, as well as a dramatic boost in ROI and lowered total cost-of-ownership.
For more information:
Vodafone Group
Tim Brown, Group Corporate Affairs Director
Tel: +44 (0) 1635 673310
Investor Relations
Melissa Stimpson
Darren Jones
Tel: +44 (0) 1635 673310
Media Relations
Jon Earl
Janine Young
Emma Conlon
Tel: +44 (0) 1635 673310
Tavistock Communications
John West
Justin Griffiths
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7920 3150
Fast Search & Transfer
Peter Gorman (U.S.)
Tel: +1 781 304 2495
E-mail:
pr@fastsearch.com
Sven Arne Gylterud (Europe)
Tel: +47 23 01 12 75
About Vodafone
Vodafone is the world's largest mobile community, with equity interests in 26 countries and Partner Networks in a further 11 countries, serving over 125 million proportionate customers.
Vodafone's global consumer service offering, Vodafone live!, opens up a world of mobile colour communication, bringing news, information, e-mail, chat, location-based services, games and shopping to customers’ mobile devices. Vodafone live! is available in 15 countries globally and has connected more than three million customers worldwide.
About FAST
FAST creates the real-time search and filter technology solutions that are behind the scenes at the world's best known companies with the mostdemanding search problems. FAST's flexible and scalable integrated technology platform elevates the search capabilities of enterprise customers and connects people to the relevant information they seek regardless of medium. This drives revenues and reduces total cost of ownership by effectively leveraging IT infrastructure. FAST's powerful enterprise search technology solutions are used by a wide range of global customers and partners, including AT&T, Cardinal Health, CareerBuilder.com, Charles Schwab & Co., Chordiant, CIGNA, CNET, Dell, Fidelity Investments, FirstGov.gov (GSA), Freeserve, IBM, LexisNexis, Nordstrom, Overture, Reed Elsevier, Reuters, SBC Communications, Tenet Healthcare, T-Online, US Army, and Virgilio (Telecom Italia).
FAST Data Search supplies a complete information retrieval solution ideal for key vertical markets and applications including e-Commerce and Internet Portals, Financial Services; Government; Life Sciences; Media and Publishing; and Telecom.
FAST operates globally with presence in the United States, Europe, and Japan. FAST is publicly traded under the ticker symbol 'FAST' on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Please visit www.fastsearch.com for more information.
© 2003 Fast Search & Transfer ASA - Fast Search & Transfer, FAST, and the FAST four-colored logo are trademarks of Fast Search & Transfer ASA. All rights reserved. FAST disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.
