MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Nixle, LLC, an information and technology company, and VeriSign Messaging and Mobile Media, a division of VeriSign, Inc. , have joined forces to enable police and municipal organizations nationwide to communicate neighborhood-level information with their residents, via SMS messages, over a powerful and reliable platform.
Nixle offers the first free, standardized, secure and certified communication platform for local police departments, municipalities and their agencies to connect with residents nationwide. It uses the same model as other popular social applications, but adds the security that is critical to ensure information received by users is trusted and authentic.
VeriSign delivers messages on behalf of carriers and content providers around the world. Offering one of the most robust and reliable mobile messaging delivery engines across carrier and enterprise networks, VeriSign will provide the utmost reliability in terms of the delivery of Nixle users' SMS messages.
Agencies in eight states are currently testing the new communication platform. In California alone, more than 20 municipalities have gained secure access to the service for testing, including Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Napa, San Diego, Sonoma, National City and Walnut Creek. The service is currently live in Chula Vista, Calif., where the service was successfully launched. The Scottsdale, Ariz., Police Department, along with numerous other cities throughout of similar size, plans to launch the platform in the very near future.
"Thanks to Nixle, our residents know what's happening in their city -- from local emergencies and traffic advisories to upcoming cultural events and public workshops. And they get their information instantly," said Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox. "Thousands of Chula Vistans are getting secure, reliable messages directly from our departments. Wherever I go, I run into satisfied Nixle subscribers. Residents are pleased their city is communicating with them."
Nixle was built from the ground up to bring the power of Web 2.0 to municipal organizations.
"Current social networking services are not built on authenticated and secure foundations, which translate to a bombshell waiting to explode when it comes to public safety information," said Nixle founder Craig Mitnick. "When it comes to public safety information, you have to trust the source of the information. With Nixle, you will."
According to a recent Nielsen report, SMS communications have now surpassed voice communications, with the typical U.S. mobile subscriber sending 357 text messages per month, compared with 204 voice phone calls.
"The value of SMS messaging is immeasurable. We're excited to work with VeriSign to bring the power of SMS messaging to government and municipal organizations," said Mitnick. "This agreement with VeriSign ensures that these entities will have the ability to communicate with their residents through the preferred method of communication."
About Nixle
Nixle is a community information service provider built exclusively to provide secure and reliable communications. It is the first authenticated and secure service that connects municipal agencies and community organizations to residents in real time, delivering information to geographically targeted consumers over their cell phones (via text messages), through e-mails and via Web access. Nixle has secured a partnership with Nlets (the International Justice and Public Safety Network), allowing local police departments nationwide to send immediate alerts and advisories. Privately funded Nixle is free to all governments, their agencies and organizations, nongovernmental organizations and consumers. For more information, visit http://www.nixle.com/.
About VeriSign Messaging and Mobile Media
VeriSign Messaging and Mobile Media is a division of VeriSign, the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world. Through this business unit, VeriSign provides global application services that reliably delivers short-messages (SMS), multimedia messages (MMS), and mobile content across wireless operators and mobile devices throughout the world. As a leader in mobile messaging, mobile banking and mobile content delivery, VeriSign offers a broad portfolio of mobile infrastructure and delivery services. Offering reliable delivery, a worldwide presence, and rapid and effective deployment, VeriSign has built a trusted and respected brand with global mobile operators, media content providers and enterprises. The reach, reliability and value add of VeriSign services enable these companies to capitalize on the rapidly growing messaging and media content markets.
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. is the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world. Billions of times each day, VeriSign helps companies and consumers all over the world engage in communications and commerce with confidence. Additional news and information about the company is available at http://www.verisign.com/.
Forward-Looking Statement
Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.
