O2 to become the first company to win Web Trustmark

O2 to become the first company to win Web Trustmark

Released: 13 October 2005

O2 is set to become the first company worldwide to be granted a new automated, machine-readable Trustmark for accessibility of its corporate website, www.o2.com.

The Trustmark awarded by Segala - an independent web certification specialist - is an endorsement of the importance O2 places on the ability of people of all age groups and capabilities to view and engage with content on the company's corporate website. The Segala Trustmark is expected to be adopted by leading Internet search engines, enabling web users to filter for content that is specifically accessible to people with disabilities as well as protecting certain groups, such as children, from inappropriate web content.

Although Trustmarks exist around the world, Segala is the first company to apply machine-readable labels to web accessibility by providing a Trustmark that is detectable by Internet search engines and portals. The core system was developed under the Quatro project, part of the EU Safer Internet Programme, and in addition to accessibility information, the label includes Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) descriptors. The Trustmark can be displayed wherever the user is on a site, assuring them that the website conforms to industry guidelines.

Today's announcement follows the recent re-launch of www.o2.com, which has had a number of enhancements, including a sophisticated content management system. This facilitates speedier content update, improved design and navigation, allowing customers, institutional investors, private shareholders and the media to find content more quickly and easily. The new site also consists of new share price modeling tools, regulatory feeds, online CSR materials, advanced news search, feedback and email alerts.

O2 awarded Segala a contract to become its exclusive partner to provide a content labelling and web accessibility certification scheme. All of O2's agencies and content providers have now signed up to the scheme and each web page is stamped with a seal of approval to demonstrate visually that compliance with the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines has been met. O2's approach to accessibility also extends to Segala providing an ongoing Self–Certify™ scheme. This will allow agencies and content providers to certify their own work, with Segala performing spot-checks to ensure the correct process is followed.

Louise Clements, communications manager for O2, said:

Segala's certification logo will sit within our site as proof that we are doing everything we can to offer mobile workers, the elderly and the disabled the best online experience. By working with Segala, we will continuously look to improve the accessibility of our services as well as audit and certify our suppliers, no matter how experienced they are.

Paul Walsh, CEO of Segala, added:

With over half of its customer base online, O2 wanted an accessible and compliant website that would offer customers a better experience. We will provide an ongoing certificate service to ensure that future updates to the site are accessible. This will be achieved by spot checking pages to ensure quality is maintained. There's no point in delivering a one-off site that's accessible for it to become inaccessible very quickly.

Note to editors

About Segala

Segala is a worldwide independent authority and provider of web accessibility and mobile content auditing, testing, certification and Trustmark services. Segala provides accessibility conformance evaluations, audits and certification for web and mobile publishers, developers and agencies to satisfy usability and accessibility guidelines and legislation.

Segala is a sponsor member of the W3C Content Label Incubator Group (XG-CL), a worldwide initiative to develop content labelling standards for the web. As an Associate member of the W3C, Segala also participates in the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and is a Founding Sponsor of the Mobile Web Initiative (MWI). Segala is the first testing and compliance specialist worldwide to become an associate member of the GSMA. Segala has global headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. For further information visit www.segala.com.

About the Segala-Certified™ Trustmark

Segala is the first company worldwide to make a machine-readable content label available for web accessibility and mobile content by providing a visible Trustmark that is detectable by search engines and browsers. The Segala-Certified Trustmark provides a branded, certified and verifiable method that enables search engines and browsers to develop systems for users to filter and trust content that contain this Trustmark. It is the first Trustmark worldwide to be based on the method proposed by members of the W3C XG-CL activity and which is expected to exceed the previous content label standard, PICS, currently used by Microsoft Internet Explorer. O2 is the first major organization worldwide to adopt the Segala Trustmark as standard throughout its online content.

O2 plc

O2 plc has 100% ownership of mobile network operators in three countries - the UK, Germany and Ireland - as well as a leading mobile Internet portal business. All of these businesses are branded as “O2”. The company is a founding member of Starmap Mobile Alliance, has operations on the Isle of Man (Manx Telecom) and owns Airwave O2 - an advanced, digital emergency communications service. In addition, O2 has established the Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture businesses in the UK and Germany respectively.

O2 has more than 25 million customers and some 15,000 employees. It reported revenues for the year ended 31 March 2005 of £6.683 billion.

O2 plc contacts

David Nicholas
Director of Communications
O2 plc
david.nicholas [at] o2 [dot] com
t: +44 (0) 771 575 9176

Simon Gordon

Head of Media Relations
O2 plc
simon.gordon [at] o2 [dot] com
t: 44 (0) 771 007 0698

All O2 Group news releases can be accessed at our web site: www.o2.com

For more information on Segala, visit:

www.w3.org/WAI/
www.segala.com
or call Paul Walsh on +44 (0)7734 606 453

For more information on Quatro and the EU Safer Internet Programme see www.quatro-project.org

Press contacts:

Andrew Gerrard
Segala
Mobile: 07974 161 179
andrew [at] segala [dot] com

Glen Goldsmith
²thefore
Mobile: 07812 766 338
glen [at] 2thefore [dot] biz
www.2thefore.com

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