Internet and Web centric Information Services represent the fastest
growing segment of the Computer Industry.
The Explosion in the use of the Internet and the coming explosion
in the use of mobile Internet devices such as pagers, cellular
phones, personal data assistants (PDAs) and laptops is providing
an unprecedented opportunity for companies who provide Internet
and private network based data or information access, services
or products.
Because the combining of wireless and Internet based technologies is relatively new, market leaders have not yet emerged, and customer loyalty has not yet been established. This business environment could enable a uniquely well-equipped company, Know Wire, to secure and maintain a leadership position in the field of portal based mobile access to information.
Ken Tratar and Randall Nelson are co-founders of Open Sky Technologies. About six months ago, while using MPbase to enhance the Storage 2000 Raid subsystem monitoring environment, Randy realized that MPbase was an incredibly capable tool for what appeared to be a very high demand, high profile need in the wireless market. At about the same time, Ken and Randy noticed that a tremendous amount of market focus, momentum and hype are being attributed to what some are calling "the third generation of computing." This eagerly anticipated new generation of computing involves mobile access to information previously limited to the capabilities of an Internet connected desktop or laptop PC. Ken took on the task of evaluating the worldwide wireless market, the participants and the announced products. Randy set about to implement what is now the Know Wire Environment. In the process he proved that MPbase, the advanced proprietary network and data-structuring product offered exclusively by Open Sky Technologies, does indeed provide unique and important competitive advantages in both the feature/function and network/server infrastructure aspects of the mobile information access marketplace.
Know Wire is positioned to become the premier provider of mobile
information services to the end user subscriber and the premier
provider of turnkey mobile information portal and services environments
to resellers and corporate entities.
The company began operations as a business unit of Open Sky Technologies in May of 1999 and is currently in early production with the Know Wire Services Portal. This environment will attract paying subscribers and start to create brand loyalty during 4th-Quarter 1999. Once the core services business is launched and funding allows, we will focus marketing and sales efforts on resellers like ISP's, other communications companies and corporate Intranet clients.
Our goal is to achieve and then maintain a strong leadership position in the Wireless information marketplace. Our plan is to provide the most attainable, feature rich and meaningful web and legacy access environment to any and all 2-way wireless device users.
The market demand for digital cellular phones is
set to explode. In the year 2000, there will be over 133 million
digital cellular phones in the U.S. A large percentage (up to
50%) will have some form of Internet access and hence require
"smart applications" and Web browser capabilities.
Handheld devices will create the second gold rush
- and everyone who missed the first is scrambling.
The Yankee Group says there are 2.2 million U.S.
wireless data users now. The corporate world is expected to adopt
the technology next, followed by consumers. The Yankee Group expects
12 million wireless data users in the U.S. and $5.6 billion in
revenue by 2002.
Quotes and views like these abound and are saying
the same thing; wireless data access and content will be a gigantic
market opportunity.
The market potential for the Know Wire solution in
its various forms is huge and diverse.
The various market opportunities include:
Subscribers. Our Core business - Exercising Know Wire's
core competency, Know Wire will market directly to subscribers.
They will be provided Internet access to the full and unique gamut
of Know Wire services directly from the Know Wire Portal.
The Reseller. In the Internet space; customer base and
loyalty reign supreme. In order to boost the number of subscribers,
Know Wire will offer a program to resellers. Most notably, ISPs
who are always in need of value add services. Know Wire will enable
them to expand their customer base, increase revenues and strengthen
customer loyalty. The Know Wire Program will be structured such
that the revenue vs. cost model and the strategic value add will
represent a very strong case for partnering.
Communications Companies. This business segment encompasses
today's most visible and wealthiest group of acquisition happy
and aggressive companies. In our estimation, their first generation
mobile information products and those of their software partners
are weak, very limited and too proprietary. Announced capabilities
provide only personal and entertainment oriented rigidly defined
Web objects and minimum E-mail management capabilities. The capabilities
involved in this decidedly me too approach do not stack up to
our more user defined, complete, versatile and cost justifiable
business-centric capabilities. In addition, communications companies
are building their services infrastructure with traditional hardware
and software technologies. Know Wire will offer them significant
advantages in developing, building and maintaining infrastructure
that will support a more meaningful and diverse set of mobile
information services. Our plan is to form strategic relationships
with at least one player in each telco category.
The Corporation as an End User. Information portals are
becoming a very hot topic inside corporate America. The CIO's
next mission is to implement a platform that will provide any
and all required information from the Internet and Corporate data
pools. This information must be provided to the appropriate decision-maker
or application in a succinct form and in a timely manner. This
means anytime and anywhere with access from a broad array of device
types and brands. Considering these demands, Know Wire represents
the best possible Internet Portal infrastructure solution for
a corporate client. Know Wire's simple, cost effective, advanced
and versatile massively parallel network architecture coupled
with the ability to surgically clip both Web and legacy data,
provide us a significant competitive advantage as we launch into
corporate America.
Launching the services portal first provides a linchpin to each of the other marketing opportunities. This Strategy positions Know Wire to generate revenues, profitability and market value early in the game.
The Use of MPbase to create the Know Wire infrastructure has provided
us an unequaled competitive position.
| · Clipped content selectable from entire Web. | · Clipped content from a limited set of preselected Web sites. |
| · Providing access by allowing the user control of what, when & where they get from the Web. | · Providing content requires site co-branding or partnership arrangement. |
| · POP3 Email access directly from your server | · Email (if offered) working only with their proprietary Email server. |
| · Works across most 2-way platforms. | · Limited/no cross platform/vendor functionality. |
| · User controlled menus. | · Fixed menus offering relatively inflexible options. |
The marketing hype currently being displayed in the wireless information
arena tends to be a bit misleading. Various technology combinations
involving device, protocol, bandwidth, compatibility, network
readiness and information software issues are in various stages
of development. The resulting solutions tend to be very proprietary
and are not widely available as an across market product or service.
One well defined aspect of all announced solutions is the first
generation of data access and content being made available to
the wireless device being promoted. All currently announced products
allow for a vendor defined single view of a limited number of
Web sites, involving what would most often be defined as personal
aid or entertainment information. Most notable are categories
like weather, directions, stock quotes, sport scores, phone number
access, etc. and then some form of limited proprietary E-mail
access.
It is common knowledge that corporations and individuals are sensitive
to the time consumption and bandwidth charges associated with
accessing what many would consider to be mostly frivolous nonbusiness
oriented information.
Know Wire's flagship competitive advantage resides squarely in
our ability to allow the user/subscriber or corporation to define
and control their own environment. Capabilities include a feature
to design their own view of personal, corporate, Web-based or
legacy data. This feature rich environment involves the entirety
of the Web and allows an individual, corporation or reseller to
provide mobile access to strategic and tactical business data.
The results provide a uniquely strong argument for cost justification
involving the wireless device, bandwidth charges and service subscription
fees.
Know Wire's Unique Portal Infrastructure offers additional competitive
advantage by reducing significantly the hardware, software and
support costs associated with implementing an Information Portal.
With Open Sky's MPbase environment at its core, tens of thousands
of Know Wire subscribers can be serviced efficiently with far
less investment in infrastructure. Developing for or adjusting
to future generations involving mobile transactions, ever changing
protocol or communications standards and new and improved wireless
devices becomes a trivial task for the underlying MPbase architecture.
As new technology components are added or changed, what will take
other more traditionally designed and equipped infrastructure
environments months to adjust to will most often take Know Wire
and Know Wire business partners only hours or days to accommodate.
Competitive advantage also exists in our ability to attract the
pager customer, the largest base of existing 2-way device users.
The ability to provide Know Wire's unique suite of services with
no software download, be it his phone or his pager, makes us a
very advantageous choice for the pager equipped end user and a
very attractive business partner for the pager company looking
to shore up or grow its customer base.
Our lowest common denominator approach and a strong move into the more stable and ready pager marketplace allow us to establish a strong, vocal and loyal base of customers. This while the immature but eventually more lucrative cellular phone and PDA markets get their act together, eventually providing device and network combinations that support 2-way communications on a better than hit and miss geographic basis.
The current Open Sky management team of Ken Tratar and Randall Nelson give Know Wire an excellent team and infrastructure from which to begin operations. Mr. Tratar brings extensive technology related management and sales experience from his years as founder and CEO of Storage 2000 and previously as an expert in providing the initial sales management lead for technically advanced start-ups. Mr. Nelson brings both management and technical experience as Founder and President of Next Paradigm Systems. He previously enjoyed successes in technical management positions with several companies including two start-ups.
Know Wire is positioned to move in two obvious directions and
maybe more as the Wireless Marketplace defines itself. The two
that can be readily defined and do not depend on foresight are
first, the continuance of the currently defined environment as
a successful operating company looking at arming up for a public
offering. The second direction could involve an acquisition strategy.
This scenario would most likely involve the sale of the core infrastructure
and client-base to a telco or other mobile-centric Fortune Company
interested in the unique and strategic value add that the Know
Wire solution and client/partner base represents.
The operating model is based on our core business as a Mobile
Information service, appealing through marketing and sales efforts
directly to mobile/Internet-centric clients/subscribers. The bonus
business comes via the telco, reseller or ISP partner relationships,
the bandwidth reselling business and the sale of the Know Wire
Information Portal environment directly to corporate clients.
We will support these efforts on a turnkey basis either directly
or through integrator partners.
Technologically, the Know Wire environment and its MPbase infrastructure coupled with the brilliance of Mr. Nelson and his support team, offer an open-ended platform that will easily accommodate the future, even that future that is yet to be imagined. With Strategic investment and the right strategic partners, Know Wire is positioned to be the dominant player in mobile and Internet information access.
Know Wire represents a business case that is unique and special
into a market that is poised to explode. We are continually seeking
those business relationships and strategic investors who understand
that together we can maintain a unique competitive edge and excel
in the Wireless and Internet information marketplaces.