STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jan. 21, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Nordea, a pioneer in electronic banking, has today launched its mobile services in the GPRS network in Finland.
GPRS connections (General Packet Radio Services) provide an "always on" banking connection that is quicker and less expensive than any earlier connection. Nordea's WAP services can be used with GPRS phones supporting the WAP security practice (WTLS, Wireless Transport Layer Security).
-- We at Nordea are confident about the future of mobile services and we believe that they are destined to become as popular and convenient as the Internet is today, not only for surfing but also for banking and other business, said Bo Harald, head of Electronic Banking in Nordea.
Nordea's services are provided via the Sonera, Radiolinja, DNA and Telia GPRS networks in Finland. The services are also available from other countries depending on the operator. For non-Finnish operators, the service can be accessed only when using local operators' pre-paid SIM- cards.
WAP services through data telephone connections remain available, and these can now be protected and authenticated when using phones which support the system.
Nordea plans to open GPRS connections in Sweden and Estonia in the near future.
Initially, some 1.1 million customers subscribing to Solo in Finland will have access to Nordea's mobile Internet services. Nordea currently has over 2.7 million net banking customers in the Nordic and Baltic countries and Poland. Nordea's electronic banking services are the most widely used in the whole world. Last year, 76 million log-ons were made, up 39% from the previous year, and 88 million invoices were paid via Nordea's net bank, an increase of 41%.
Nordea is the leading financial services group in the Nordic and Baltic Sea region and operates through four business areas: Retail Banking, Asset Management & Life, Corporate and Institutional Banking and General Insurance. The Nordea Group has nearly 11 million customers, 1,260 bank branches and 125 insurance service centres in 21 countries. The Nordea Group is a world leader in Internet banking, with more than 2.7 million e-customers. The Nordea share is listed in Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen.
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