Google’s High-Performance WAP Search Technology Enables Nextel Online Subscribers to Search and Browse More Than 1 Billion Web Pages
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – August 1, 2000 – Google Inc., one of the fastest growing search engines on the web today announced that Nextel Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXTL) has integrated Google’s fast and highly relevant wireless search engine technology into its Nextel Online Wireless Internet Service for business customers.
Nextel’s Internet-capable "plus" phones offer Nextel Online subscribers integrated wireless Internet service in the palms of their hands. Nextel Online service plans feature simple, flat-rate pricing and the Basic Plus Web browsing plan include unlimited access to the Google search engine. Today, approximately 2 million Nextel customers own "plus" phones.
Nextel Online is the wireless industry’s only integrated, packetized voice and data service. Unlike other wireless data services where users have to "dial in" to access the Internet, Nextel Online customers are always connected to the Internet.
A common limitation with today’s "wireless web" technology is that most Internet-capable mobile phones are unable to view web pages published in HTML. Google’s easy-to-use search technology addresses this problem by enabling users to view over 1 billion traditional HTML web pages in WML, the programming language supported by most mobile phone microbrowsers. Google automatically performs this content translation when the user clicks on a search result. Additionally, the search results are separated into several smaller pages, connected by "more" buttons, to offer increased performance.
"Google’s search engine enables us to offer our Nextel Online subscribers a much broader range of information that will help quickly solve business needs while on the go," said Greg Santoro, vice president web-based services, Nextel. "Google’s easy-to-use search engine, together with other mobile content offerings, provides our customers a tremendously valuable mobile Internet service."
"We are pleased to bring our innovative search engine technology to customers of Nextel, one of the world’s leading wireless service providers," said Sergey Brin, Google president and co-founder. "This relationship is a strong validation of the high quality of our service, and helps increase usage of Google within the rapidly growing community of mobile business users."
Benefits of Google Search Technology
Designed for Internet users worldwide, Google’s search engine offers web surfers simple, fast, and highly relevant search results for every web-connected computer, including the emerging class of wireless devices such as Palm handheld computers, pagers, and Internet-ready mobile phones. The key benefits of Google’s search engine include its ease of use and clean interface, and highly relevant results. Google is based on a variety of innovative technologies, including sophisticated text matching and its advanced, patent-pending technology called PageRank™, which ensures that the most important results always come up first. This scalable approach to search enables Google to get better as the Internet gets bigger.
About Nextel
Nextel Communications Inc., headquartered in Reston, VA, is a 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 98 of the top 100 U.S. markets. The Nextel National Network offers a fully integrated wireless communications tool with digital cellular, text/numeric paging, 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, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, the Philippines, Peru, and Japan. Please visit the Company’s web page at www.nextel.com.
About Google Inc.
Google exists to provide the world’s best Internet search experience. Google accomplishes this for millions of users daily by delivering a powerful, fast, and easy way to find the most relevant information available. Google’s technological innovations have powered the company to numerous awards, including a 2000 Webby and People’s Voice Award For Best Technical Achievement; Best Search Engine on the Internet from Yahoo! Internet Life; Top Ten Best Cybertech of 1999 by TIME Magazine; Technical Excellence Award from PC Magazine; and Best Search Engine by The Net. A growing number of companies, including Netscape’s Netcenter, a subsidiary of AOL, Washingtonpost.com and Red Hat, rely on Google to power search on their websites. A privately held company based in Mountain View, Calif., Google’s investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital. For the information you need, visit www.google.com.
Google Contact:
David Krane
(650) 930-3596
dkrane@google.com
###
Google is a trademark of Google, Inc. Nextel, the Nextel logo, Nextel Direct Connect and Nextel Online are trademarks and/or service marks of Nextel Communications, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.