Camelot Pilot Comtech's Wireless Display Messaging Solution (A Joint Press Release from Comtech, Sony Ericsson and Orange)

In-store wireless display at the point of sale managed from a central location. To improve lottery jackpot level awareness through reliable communication. Drive incremental revenues, reduce retailer involvement and the need to send out point of sale packs.

(PRWEB) January 30, 2005 -- Comtech Holdings Ltd (www.comtechM2M.com), a leading Machine-to-Machine (M2M) solution provider, today announced a pilot trial of a wireless display messaging solution for Camelot, operator of the UK National Lottery. The new solution is designed to encourage sales in the Lotto and EuroMillions games, which offer three jackpot wins each week.

Point of sale (POS) packs, based on a minimum sales forecast, are produced by Camelot to communicate the latest jackpot totals through retailers. However, since the games offer rolling jackpots, there has been a challenge to communicate accurate prizes when turn around times do not permit printing of the jackpot amounts on paper for display in the stores. The key benefits of the pilot trial are therefore to reduce the retailer involvement and increase the accuracy of the rollover communication and the associated jackpot level. Furthermore, Camelot wanted to raise awareness of the new EuroMillions game to ensure customers are aware that it is a rolling game with huge jackpot levels.

The piloted solution allows centrally controlled jackpot information to be communicated to automated electronic displays in the National Lottery retailers' stores. A 100 unit pilot system has been deployed in the UK utilising Comtech's wireless display messaging solution. It comprised a central management application that determines jackpot levels from Camelot and delivers this information to the automated displays over the Orange wireless network. Comtech has leveraged Sony Ericsson M2M technology within the automated display.

This solution will only move forward to rollout if the pilot trial proves both the business case and the effectiveness of the underlying technology. To do this, it must drive incremental sales from the awareness of jackpot levels, show a return on investment (ROI) over a defined period and increase awareness of the new game.

Simplicity is the key to success - simple, accurate and easily understood messages are needed at the point of sale to influence purchases, " said Steve Whitehead, Technical Director, Comtech Holdings Limited "But don't be fooled - beneath the simplicity lies complex wireless technologies and Internet based communication. This is a communication solution with a display ... rather than a display solution with communication!"

Real time communication provides a new dimension to in-store marketing. "The jackpot communication solution provides an opportunity for Camelot to dynamically change messages in-store aligned with mass media TV and radio campaigns," said Natalie Somerville, Head of Creative Services at Camelot.

About Comtech Holdings Ltd

Comtech Holdings Ltd., www.comtechM2M.com, Bolton, UK, enables companies to remotely monitor and control their equipment over the Internet. The company provides GSM, GPRS, PSTN modems and routers, Web-based central management applications and specialised M2M services enabling companies to build an end-to-end automated system. Solutions are suited to many diverse markets with complete solutions available for the wireless display messaging market.

About Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications serves the global communications market with innovative and feature-rich mobile phones, accessories, PC-cards and M2M solutions. Established as a joint venture by Ericsson and Sony in 2001, with headquarters in London, the company employs approximately 5,000 people worldwide, including R&D sites in Europe, Japan, China and America.

For more information, please visit www.sonyericsson.com

About Orange

Orange and wirefree and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange PCS. The Orange group is one of the worlds largest mobile communications companies and a subsidiary of the France Telecom group, with operations in 16 countries across Europe and beyond. It provides a broad range of personal communications services, including Orange GSM1800 services and other digital cellular telephone services. Within the Orange Group, the Orange brand operates in the UK, France, Switzerland, Romania, Slovakia, Thailand, the Ivory Coast, the Dominican Republic, Cameroon, the Netherlands, Botswana, and Madagascar. The Orange group also has controlled operations in Belgium (Mobistar). The Orange group has a joint controlling interest in Egypt (MobiNil) and minority interests in Portugal (Optimus) and Austria (One). As at the end of September 2004, Orange was the largest mobile operator in both the UK with over 14 million active customers, and France with 20.6 million registered customers. As at the end of September 2004, Orange controlled companies had over 52 million customers worldwide. Orange, along with TIM, Telefonica and T-Mobile, is a founding member of the FreeMove alliance. Further information about Orange can be found on the Orange website at www.orange.com

Photograph

Available from Comtech Holdings Ltd.

Contacts

Comtech Holdings Ltd

Steve Whitehead

Comtech Holdings Ltd, Comtech House, 28 Manchester Road, Westhoughton, Bolton, Lancashire, BL5 3QJ, UK

Web: www.comtechM2M.com Email: sales@comtechM2M.com Tel: +44 (0) 1942 851800, Fax: +44 (0) 1942 851808

Sony Ericsson

For further information, call Sony Ericsson on +44 (0) 208 762 5858

Orange

For further information, call the Orange media centre on 020 7984 2000 or 07973 201911.

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