Press Releases

SkyPilot Announces SkyExtender TriBand for Licensed 4.9 GHz Public Safety and Public Wi-Fi Access

Highly Versatile Mesh Product, Together with Technology Partners, Addresses Rapidly Expanding Requirements for Mixed-Use Municipal Wireless Deployments

Santa Clara, March 20, 2006 - SkyPilot Networks, the leading provider of carrier-class wireless mesh networks, today announced the SkyExtender TriBand, a highly versatile product that seamlessly integrates SkyPilot’s industry-leading 5 GHz synchronous mesh backhaul with two high-power access points, one dedicated to licensed 4.9 GHz public safety applications and one dedicated to 2.4 GHz public Wi-Fi access. The SkyExtender TriBand is purpose-built to meet the combined requirements of the public/private partnership between municipalities and service providers by supporting a mixed-use environment of municipal applications and broadband Internet access services. As part of the announcement, SkyPilot is also announcing technology partnerships with best-in-class 4.9 GHz solution vendors.

“Municipalities have determined the best path to a financially justifiable wireless network involves deploying a wide range of applications through a partnership with a service provider,” said Bob Machlin, president and CEO of SkyPilot. “The SkyExtender TriBand gives service providers the versatility to deploy the breadth of applications required by municipalities while still enabling commercial Internet access services. In addition, the SkyExtender TriBand maintains SkyPilot’s ability to provide unprecedented scalability and design simplicity to enable affordable wireless mesh networking.”

Mixed-Use Municipal Wireless Networks
The SkyExtender TriBand enables municipalities to cost-justify wireless networks due to the multitude of applications designed to benefit the overall community, including:

•	Public Wi-Fi access to bridge the digital divide and drive economic development across the community
•	US-licensed 4.9 GHz public safety access to serve the field connectivity needs of first responders, including police, fire and emergency services
•	High-speed wireless connectivity for network cameras to enable real-time video surveillance applications
•	Fixed wireless connectivity and deterministic Voice over IP (VoIP) for municipal buildings to reduce telecommunications costs
•	Remote municipal worker connectivity, such as on-site access to survey records and report filing by building inspectors, to enhance municipal productivity
•	Automated reading of water, gas, electric and parking meters to improve municipal efficiency

In addition to supporting these municipal applications, the SkyExtender TriBand also enables service providers to leverage this network to support additional applications, such as:

•	Commercial broadband Internet access for residential and business users
•	Commercial VoIP services
•	Commercial Wi-Fi services, including public HotSpots

“Combining multi-frequency access points with integrated backhaul changes the dynamics and current paradigm of conventional mesh network deployments,” said Rory Conaway of Triad Wireless. “Municipalities that need both public access and secured public safety capabilities can now deliver both in a single access point solution. Cities can now deploy fixed location and mobile environments to integrate city buildings, mobile vehicles, video surveillance, police and fire departments, and other municipal functions. Combined with the authentication and intrusion detection infrastructure that is part of the S.P.I.R.I.T. system by Triad, municipalities can be assured of a secured, professional, next generation communications infrastructure.” Technology Partnerships for Interoperable 4.9 GHz Solutions Through the use of industry standard IEEE 802.11a, SkyPilot enables connectivity with best-of-breed 4.9 GHz public safety solutions, including solutions from In Motion Technology, Padcom, and Ubiquiti Networks.

•	In Motion Technology’s onBoard™ Mobile Gateway (oMG) is a trunk-mountable, environmentally hardened wireless communications gateway for use in police cars, fire trucks, ambulances and other public safety vehicles. As part of a complete mobile service delivery platform for mission critical organizations, the oMG transparently enables multiple Ethernet, Wi-Fi (802.11i) or serial devices in the vehicle to connect securely with the agency’s headquarters over SkyPilot’s 4.9 GHz technology or carrier networks such as EVDO based on best available coverage. (www.inmotiontechnology.com)

•	Padcom®’s TotalRoam® Mobile VPN software provides a continuous mobile connectivity solution that integrates wireless broadband and public and private wide area networks, allowing users to seamlessly and securely roam between available networks without the need to reconnect. In addition, Padcom’s in-vehicle Remote Access Router hardware platform manages mobile connectivity for public safety vehicles, such as police squad cars, fire trucks, and ambulances. (www.padcomusa.com)

•	Ubiquiti SuperRange4 Cardbus solution is the world’s first high-power 4.9 GHz Cardbus product that provides laptops with connectivity to the US-licensed 4.9 GHz public safety network. (www.ubnt.com)

Pricing and Availability The SkyExtender TriBand is currently in trials and is scheduled for first customer shipments in May. The list price of $4,199 is inclusive of the full dual access point configuration with 2.4 and 4.9 GHz omnidirectional antennas and synchronous mesh backhaul with a 5 GHz eight-way directional antenna array. The SkyExtender TriBand integrates with SkyPilot’s entire family of managed outdoor wireless mesh products.

About SkyPilot Networks
SkyPilot Networks is the leading provider of carrier-class wireless mesh solutions that enable service providers, municipalities, and public safety agencies to rapidly deploy cost-effective broadband access, voice over IP, public and private Wi-Fi access, video surveillance, and other wireless applications. The SkyPilot solution utilizes a patent-pending synchronous mesh architecture with high-speed switched directional antenna arrays that extends reach, mitigates interference, and maximizes spectral reuse. The result is a highly scalable, reliable, and deterministic mesh network that simplifies design, increases deployment flexibility, and dramatically reduces equipment and operating costs. SkyPilot has proven scalability and reliability with over 200 customers in more than 40 countries. SkyPilot is a principal member of the WiMAX Forum™ and a privately held company based in Santa Clara, California. For more information on SkyPilot and its solutions, contact pr@skypilot.com or visit http://www.skypilot.com.