Sun-Netscape Unveils Billing Consolidation App

Continuing its rapid rollout pace, the Sun-Netscape Alliance Monday introduced a
Net bill presentment and payment solution it hopes will spread the use of electronic billing.

Currently, banks offer their consumers the ability to pay only a few of
their bills online. Using iPlanet BillerXpert Consolidator edition
software, banks will be able to offer a seamless electronic bill
presentment and payment system so that clients only have to use one source
to pay all of their bills.

Industry experts believe a common standard for Internet bill
presentment and payment will help drive the mass adoption of electronic
billing by encouraging multiple billers, such as credit card companies,
retailers and utilities, to present bills via the banks’ Web sites. The
intent is that more consumers will take advantage of the opportunity to pay
all of their bills with just the click of the mouse.

Three of the nation’s top 10 banks — Chase Manhattan, First Union and
Wells Fargo — have formed a consortium known as Spectrum to adopt a common
approach to Internet bill presentment and payment. Already in use by First
Union, the Alliance’s new iPlanet BillerXpert Consolidator edition is one
of the first software products to support the Spectrum standard.

In addition to Spectrum, the Alliance’s Internet bill presentment and
payment offering leverages platform technologies, such as Java, and
relationships with leaders in the electronic billing market including America Online (AOL)
and Intuit (INTU).

“Intuit recognizes the Sun-Netscape Alliance as a preferred provider of
industry-leading enterprise applications,” said Eric Dunn, chief technology
officer at Intuit. “As we continue to enable billing service providers, we
encourage these companies to further strengthen their bill presentment and
payment platforms with solutions from premier software providers like the
Sun-Netscape Alliance.”