Press Release - 02/25/00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONNECTIONS 2000:

Advancing the Networked Home Welcomes OSGi as a Platinum Sponsor

February 25, 2000, Dallas, TX- Parks Associates and CABA (the Continental Automated Buildings Association) are pleased to welcome Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGi) as a Platinum Sponsor at CONNECTIONS 2000: Advancing the Networked Home. OSGi (http://www.osgi.org) is an independent, non-profit corporation composed of more than 45 companies working to define and promote open standards for the delivery of multiple services over wide-area networks to local networks and devices.

Held in San Diego May 3-5, 2000, CONNECTIONS will open with a special session dedicated to the public introduction of the initial OSGi specification. The OSGi specification, which complements virtually all residential networking standards, defines an open standard that enables multiple software services to be loaded and run on a services gateway such as a set top box, cable modem, DSL modem, PC or dedicated residential gateway. Initially based on Java technology, the OSGi specification enables a new business model for the home networking market by allowing multiple value-added services to share the cost of a single services gateway and gives application service providers, network operators, and device and appliance manufacturers both application and platform independence. Additionally, by allowing a single services gateway to support multiple local networks, such as in-home local area networks (LANs), audio/visual networks, and control networks, the OSGi specification enables valuable new services that integrate these previously discrete network islands.

"We are happy to join with Parks Associates and CABA as a platinum sponsor of Connections 2000 and in the launch of the first OSGi specification," said John Barr, OSGi president. "The OSGi specification delivers a critical piece of the home networking puzzle. It creates a platform-independent delivery vehicle for value-added network services. It provides a platform for integrating the various networks in the home into a unified system. And, it enables new business opportunities for network operators - cable operators, Telcos, and ISPs - to offer services from multiple application service providers (ASPs) to their subscriber base."

With the OSGi specification, high-value services can be dynamically loaded over a wide area network into a services gateway. Once resident in the services gateway these services, such as energy measurement and control, safety and security services, health care monitoring services, device control and maintenance, electronic commerce services and more, can interact both with devices and networks in the home or small office and with clients and servers. The services gateway can also consolidate and manage voice, data, control, Internet and multimedia communications to and from the home and small office.

"Parks Associates firmly believes an OSGi-compliant gateway is the end game for the evolution of services," said Tricia Parks, president, Parks Associates. "Standards will be vital to developing this market and Parks Associates supports OSGi in these efforts."

The fourth conference of its kind, CONNECTIONS 2000 will focus on the business, technical, and regulatory issues affecting the in-home network and residential gateway markets with key players from a variety of industries, including consumer electronics, computing, energy utility, and residential construction.

For information about sponsoring, please contact Steve Harvey at 972-490-1113 or email harvey@protectparksassociates.com

To register for the event, please visit www.connectionsconference.com. For more information about Parks Associates or CABA, please visit www.parksassociates.com or www.caba.org. For more information about the Open Services Gateway Initiative, please visit www.osgi.org.

Contact:
David Dern
CABA


Elizabeth Parks
Parks Associates


David Nieland
BSMG Worldwide for OSGi