InterWorld, Ericsson Team for WAP E-Commerce Solutions

Telecommunications equipment provider Ericsson and e-commerce solutions firm InterWorld Corp. formed an alliance to
develop, market and sell next-generation wireless e-commerce applications and
services for both the B2B and B2C markets.

The deal is an extension of a current agreement; the two companies have been
collaborating for about two years and are nearing completion on a set of
integrated e-commerce apps for wireless devices. Financial arrangements were
not disclosed.

Ericsson said its Professional Services Organization unit will implement the
new products upon general availability later this year.

With Ericsson’s guidance, InterWorld will WAP-enable (Wireless Application
Protocol) key elements of its e-commerce solution. The alliance also will
provide a framework for the co-marketing of WAP-enabled e-commerce sites.
Ericsson said it will implement WAP on customer sites via its professional
services organization.

The integration will enable consumers and business managers to make secure
e-commerce transactions through virtually any wireless device, including cell
phones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and handhelds, the companies said.

“This alliance represents a significant step in our mobile electronic
commerce industry,” said Per-Arne Sandstrom, Ericsson chief executive officer. “Ericsson can
leverage InterWorld’s deep penetration in the sell-side B2B and B2C space. As
a result, we will be able to offer a robust, out-of-the-box (e-commerce)
solution which will be specifically designed for easy entry into the wireless
space.”