[French startup Altheia shows preview of Be-Bound at the LeWeb Paris Exhibition. It provides Web access from a smartphone anywhere at very affordable costs utilizing the existing 2G network that covers 86% of the planet and an application downloaded to a smartphone.]

Paris -- Altheia is preparing to revolutionize the way Smartphones connect to the Internet.

The new French startup introduced a preview of its service, Be-BoundTM, which is also in the running for the best enterprise project presented at LeWeb Paris Exhibition (December 4-6).

Connect to the Internet without cellular data (3G or Edge) or Wi-Fi using… SMS!

Whether or not it wins the competition, Altheia is sure to have an impact and create buzz with Be-BoundTM, its newly introduced service.

The concept is simple. It provides users with Web access from their Smartphone wherever they are and at very affordable cost. Today, only 14% of the world is equipped with 3G, Edge, or Wi-Fi connectivity.

Utilizing the existing 2G network that covers 86% of the planet and an application downloaded to their Smartphone, users can now experience mobile access to the Internet from anywhere.

If you’re traveling abroad for business or pleasure, or if you’re a Smartphone user who simply wants Web access in an area that does not have 3G or Edge or even Wifi coverage, this service will meet your needs.

Be-Bound provides an innovative product/service benefit through the use of a technology that relies on a Cloud platform and SMS as the data transport layer. Operation is as simple as clicking on a button.

The user downloads the free Be-BoundTM application (first of all available for Android Smartphones), then purchases credits (Be-Miles) to connect. In this way, users avoid excess data consumption and out-of-control billing charges.

Avoid out-of-control billing charges with Be-Miles

To connect to the Web from your smartphone when abroad, you no longer need access to an expensive 3G, or Edge or Wifi network. Once the Be-BoundTM application has been downloaded, you purchase (with PayPal, Allopass, or CC) credits called Be-Miles. These are sold in packs (3€ = 35 Be-Miles, 6€ = 100 Be-Miles, and 10€ = 200 Be-Miles) to which is added the cost of the SMS, leading to a savings of 50 to 95% over existing 3G rates. Purchased Be-Miles are spent whenever you use a Web-based service or application with Be-BoundTM.

A request automatically generates an SMS message, which is sent to the Be-BoundTM “WoMTP” server. The server accepts and processes the data and then transmits it, again by SMS, to complete your connection to the requested Web services.

Using the new Be-BoundTM application, users can now access a wide range of services from any geographic location in the world: e-mail, Web search, weather, stock news, hotel and restaurant information…

Excluding potential network connection problems, Be-BoundTM allows users to avoid billing problems. Excess charges can easily be run up when accessing traditional Web services from abroad. With Be-Bound you control your data consumption.

A service that can keep pace with the growth of Internet usage

In view of the figures for the growth of Smartphone hardware and mobile Internet use in the World, Be-BoundTM’s success is a near certainty; the new French startup Altheia should soon be one of the most popular companies in its field.

In fact, the latest study by Strategy Analytics on mobile Internet use Worldwide (3Q 2012) indicates that more than a billion people own a smartphone, showing an increase of more than 40 percent over 2011. IDC even showed that more people surf the Web on Smarpthone and tablets than PCs, for the first time ever.

So we need to ask ourselves: will Altheia with its Be-BoundTM solution revolutionize Internet use for travelers to foreign countries? French Institute Médiamétrie doesn’t (yet) measure this data because, until now, there has been no reason to do so. But starting today, users might be much more inclined to make use of the mobile Internet when traveling abroad.

About Altheia & Be-Bound

Created in late 2011, Altheia provides the best the mobile Internet has to offer at the best price. Through its Be-BoundTM solution, Altheia lets everyone have access to the best of the Internet anytime, anywhere by using the only networks found throughout the world: the 2G network.

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