Certicom PKI Toolkit Provides Strong Authentication for Wireless and Mobile Applications

Mississauga, Ontario – (March 6, 2003) – Certicom Corp. (TSX: CIC), a leading provider of wireless security solutions, today announced that Aether Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: AETH), a leading provider of wireless and mobile data solutions, has expanded its use of Certicom technology by licensing the Certicom PKI Toolkits. As a result, Aether’s Fusion platform can deliver the U.S. Government-recommended Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and strong authentication to applications that extend enterprise data to a mobile environment. 

“By expanding our relationship with Certicom, we can further enhance the security of our technology platform, Aether Fusion, and the applications that run on Fusion in markets including transportation, government and the large enterprise,” said Dave Rosi, Aether senior vice president of marketing and business development. 

Aether currently uses Certicom Security Builder® in its wireless and mobile platform, Aether Fusion™, for strong ECC-based security. Now, Certicom’s Trustpoint™ Client Toolkit will also be embedded into the Fusion platform to enable strong authentication, integrity and authenticity of enterprise data through the use of X.509 v3 standard certificates.

“ At Certicom, we are focused on enabling our customers to quickly integrate the highest standard of wireless security into their products,” said Ian McKinnon, President and CEO of Certicom. “By embedding Certicom Developer Toolkits, Aether Systems can ensure that it continues to offer the highest levels of security required by companies that allow mobile workers to access enterprise applications and information.”

Aether Systems is a world leader in developing and implementing wireless solutions. With its market leading applications, Aether has established the benchmark in enabling the deployment of wireless applications over a wide range of networks and handheld devices. Aether Fusion is a platform that unites messaging, synchronization, and Web technologies for wireless and mobile applications on phones, PDAs and other common handheld and portable devices. 
Certicom PKI Toolkits allow developers to add comprehensive, standards-based PKI security to applications based on platforms ranging from Palm and Windows CE to Linux and Solaris. Mobile middleware and device manufacturers use Certicom PKI Toolkits to enable authentication, confidentiality, privacy, message integrity and the ability to perform digital signatures for non-repudiation. Certicom PKI Toolkits reduce development complexity with common, cross-platform API for faster and more efficient implementations with optimized libraries.

About Aether Systems, Inc.
Aether Systems delivers wireless and mobile data solutions that make people more productive and their organizations more profitable. Aether’s products and services are built on Aether Fusion™, the company’s standards-based platform that allows for secure, reliable extension of critical information to virtually any wireless or mobile environment. Return on investment in Aether solutions comes from a unique combination of strengths - quick access to multiple back-end information sources, workflow that is optimized for specific industries, and turnkey deployment services and professional support. Backed by years of in-market expertise, Aether is making it possible for thousands of businesses and government agencies to unleash the power of the mobile workforce. For more information, please visit www.aethersystems.com.


About Certicom
Certicom is a leading provider of wireless security solutions, enabling developers, governments and enterprises to add strong security to their devices, networks and applications. Designed for constrained devices, Certicom’s patented technologies are unsurpassed in delivering the strongest cryptography with the smallest impact on performance and usability. Certicom products are currently licensed to more than 300 customers including Texas Instruments, Palm, Research In Motion, Cisco Systems, Oracle and Motorola. Founded in 1985, Certicom is headquartered in Mississauga, ON, Canada, with offices in Ottawa, ON; Herndon, VA; San Mateo, CA; and London, England. Visit www.certicom.com. 
Certicom, Security Builder, SSL Plus, Trustpoint, movianVPN, movianCrypt are trademarks or registered trademarks of Certicom Corp. All other companies and products listed herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. Factors that might cause a difference include, but are not limited to, those relating to the acceptance of mobile and wireless devices and the continued growth of e-commerce and m-commerce, the increase of the demand for mutual authentication in m-commerce transactions, the acceptance of Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) technology as an industry standard, the market acceptance of our principal products and sales of our customer’s products, the impact of competitive products and technologies, the possibility of our products infringing patents and other intellectual property of fourth parties, and costs of product development. Certicom will not update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect Certicom’s financial results is included in the documents Certicom files from time to time with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities.

For further information about Certicom, please contact: 

For further information about Aether Systems, please contact: 

Greg Abel
Aether Systems, Inc.
(443) 394-5189
gabel@aethersystems.com