All ebXML Specs Now Submitted for QR

[Carol Geyer <carol.geyer@oasis-open.org>]

All ebXML Specifications Now Submitted for Quality Review Process
Including ebXML Messaging Services Specification Integrating SOAP

Boston, MA, USA and Geneva, Switzerland; 28 March 2001--UN/CEFACT and
OASIS today announced that all ebXML specifications have been submitted
to the initiative's quality review process. These specifications are the
result of more than a year's work by organizations and standards bodies
around the world, which have come together to advance a common framework
for global electronic business. The complete body of ebXML
specifications defining business process methodology, core components,
messaging, registry/repository, security, technical architecture and
trading partner agreements are expected to be ratified in plenary May
2001.

"We advise everyone involved with developing electronic business
solutions to become part of the ebXML process by downloading these
specifications now," said Klaus-Dieter Naujok of Netfish Technologies,
chair of ebXML and member of the UN/CEFACT Steering Group. "More and
more vendors are coming forward to announce their plans to implement
ebXML-compliant products based on these specifications."

The ebXML Messaging Services Specification integrating SOAP is among the
new specifications submitted to the ebXML review process. The effort to
integrate SOAP into ebXML was started just five weeks ago.

"We maintained an aggressive pace for developing ebXML, because we knew
the industry needed this kind of standardized framework as soon as
possible," explained Dr. Robert S. Sutor of IBM, Vice-Chair of ebXML and
a member of the OASIS Board of Directors. "The specifications that are
available now testify to the cooperative effort that has gone into the
initiative."

Today's announcement followed the ebXML proof-of-concept demonstration
by vendors at the XML One conference in London last week. Bowstreet,
Btrade, Commerce One, Documentum, Fujitsu, IBM, IPNet, Killdara,
Netfish/Iona, Sun Microsystems and XML Global?with support from
Interwoven, Cisco, NTT Communications, Savvion, Sterling Commerce, TIE,
Viquity and XMLSolutions--collaborated to simulate a global, electronic
business trading network using publicly available ebXML specifications.
Many of these companies also issued public statements regarding their
intentions to implement ebXML-compliant products in the near future.

ebXML specifications are available for public review on
http://www.ebxml.org.

About ebXML
ebXML (www.ebXML.org) is an International Initiative established by
UN/CEFACT and OASIS in late 1999 with a mandate to undertake an 18-month
program of work to research and identify the technical basis upon which
the global implementation of XML (Extensible Markup Language) can be
standardized. The goal of ebXML is to facilitate open trade between
organizations regardless of size by enabling XML to be used in a
consistent manner to exchange electronic business data.

About UN/CEFACT
UN/CEFACT (www.uncefact.org) is the United Nations body whose mandate
covers worldwide policy and technical development in the area of trade
facilitation and electronic business. Headquartered in Geneva, it has
developed and promoted many tools for the facilitation of global
business processes including UN/EDIFACT, the international EDI standard.
Its current work programme includes such topics as Simpl-edi and Object
Oriented EDI and it strongly supports the development and implementation
of open, interoperable global standards and specifications for
electronic business.

About OASIS
OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org) is the international, not-for-profit
consortium that advances electronic business by promoting open,
collaborative development of interoperability specifications. OASIS
serves as the home for industry groups interested in developing XML
specifications. OASIS sponsors include Access360, Accenture, Adobe
Systems, AND Data Solutions, Arbortext, Auto-trol, Aventail, Baltimore
Technologies, B-Bop Associates, BEA Systems, Bentley Systems, Boeing,
Bowstreet, Business Logic Corporation, Chrystal Software, Cohesia,
Commerce One, Critical Path, DataChannel, Dataloom, Deutsche Post AG,
Documentum, EADS Airbus, empolis, Engage, Enigma, Excelergy, eXcelon,
Extricity, First Call, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, icomXpress, Informix,
Infoteria, Innodata, Interwoven, IPNet Solutions, ITEDO, Ivis Group,
Jamcracker, Logistics Management Institute, Mediaplex, Mercator
Software, Micrografx, Microsoft, Netegrity, Netfish, Netscape/AOL,
NextPage, NII Enterprise Promotion Association, Nimble Technology, NIST,
Novell, ObjectSpace, Pearson Education, Planet 7 Technologies, Popkin
Software, ProNet Technology, Reuters, SAA Consultants, Sabre, SAP,
Securant Technologies, SeeBeyond, Sequoia Software, SilverStream
Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, Sterling Commerce, StreamServe, Sun
Microsystems, Synth-Bank, Tamalpais Group, Tata Consultancy Services,
Thomas Technology Solutions, TIBCO, U.S. Defense Information Services
Agency, Virtual Access Networks, Visa, Wavo, webMethods, Whitehill
Technologies, Xerox, XML Global, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise.

For more information:
Carol Geyer
Director of Communications
OASIS
carol.geyer@oasis-open.org
+1.941.284.0403