Airput and Nextel Form Alliance to Offer Customers Mobile Timesheets

Nextel’s customer-base gains access to time tracking service via mobile devices

Norristown, PA -- February 5, 2001 -- Airput, the vertical application mobilizer for business-critical field operations today announced an agreement with Nextel Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXTL), a leading provider of fully integrated wireless communications services focusing on business solutions, that will allow Nextel customers and field-based personnel to enter, transmit, and receive timesheet and project information, using Internet-capable Nextel phones.

Nextel has licensed Airput’s patent-pending AirHours™ product and will seamlessly incorporate it directly into its Nextel Wireless Web service offering, making it available to its more than 6 million predominately business customers. As a result, mobile business users will benefit from being able to remotely track time-critical data, such as labor hours and project costs. Users also will be able to purchase and administer use of the product directly through Nextel.

"This product is another step forward in Nextel’s continued focus on providing leading mobile office, remote access, field sales, field services and fleet management solutions," said Greg Santoro, vice president Internet and wireless services for Nextel. "Accurate time keeping and reporting are important to all businesses and particularly our existing customer base. We are very excited to team with Airput."

"This alliance represents an incredible milestone for Airput and a strong endorsement of our products and tools, which are targeted at vertical markets," said Rick O’Brien, Airput’s co-founder and chief executive officer. "Our partnership with Nextel, for the first time, provides business customers with an ability to collect business-critical field-based information and act on it quickly using their mobile phone."

Starting this month, AirHours from Airput will be packaged and offered through Nextel’s service offering to mobile customers. Nextel will centrally manage all billing and accounting for the service.

Industries that stand to benefit from the ability to track time and project information via mobile phones include the construction, field services and professional services.

"AirHours from Airput will streamline the means by which the construction industry manages its labor resources and project information." said David Brodie, senior vice president of Wohlsen Construction, one of the nation’s leading construction management companies. "There’s tremendous opportunity to save money and time."

In addition to AirHours, Airput also offers back-end interfaces for the product, allowing it to seamlessly integrate with existing accounting/project management applications extending a company’s interface to mobile workers. AirHours supports a standard CSV data interface and a QuickBooks™ interface, which enables AirHours field information to be exported directly into existing accounting and payroll applications. The company will soon announce interfaces for a number of leading construction accounting applications.


About Nextel
Nextel Communications, Inc., based in Reston, VA, is the leading provider of fully integrated wireless communications services and has built the largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network in the United States covering thousands of communities across the United States. Nextel and Nextel Partners, Inc., currently serve 178 of the top 200 U.S. markets. Through recent market launches, Nextel and Nextel Partners' service is available today in areas of the United States where approximately 200 million people live or work. The Nextel National Network offers a fully integrated wireless communications tool with digital cellular, Text & Numeric Messaging, wireless Internet access and Nextel Direct Connect® -- a digital two-way radio feature. In addition, through Nextel International, Inc., Nextel has wireless operations and investments in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, the Philippines, Peru, Chile and Japan. Please visit our website at http://www.nextel.com.


About Airput
Airput is the first vertical application mobilizer, partnering with both software providers and wireless data carriers to optimize their customers’ business-critical field operations. Airput’s mobile solutions enable software providers serving vertical markets with large field operations, such as construction and real estate, to extend their application interfaces via web-enabled mobile phones and other wireless devices. Wireless carriers utilize Airput’s mobile productivity tools to add value to wireless data services now being offered to existing wireless voice customers. Airput is headquartered in suburban Philadelphia, Pa., and its investors include the Eastern Technology Fund and PA Early Stage, a Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE: SFE) affiliated private equity fund. Airput is supported by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Ben Franklin Partnership through the Ben Franklin Technology PArtners of Southeastern Pennsylvania. For more information, visit Airput on the web at www.airput.com.