For `Affordable Wireless Underserved' 2005 Award, WCA Cites NextNet & SSI Micro For `Largest, Coldest Hot Spot'.

WASHINGTON -- NextNet Wireless, Inc. and SSI Micro, Ltd. were named as 2005 winners of annual awards conferred by the Wireless Communications Association (WCA) for provisioning underserved communities with advanced NLOS broadband wireless technology.

NextNet, one of the industry's leading equipment providers and SSI Micro, its service provider partner in remote regions of Northern Canada, won in the category of "Advanced Technology For the Underserved: Affordable Services."

The awards will be conferred on Jan. 13 at WCA's Eleventh Annual International Symposium & Business Expo at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, CA. The "Wemmies" are awarded to carriers and vendors using advanced wireless technology to deliver broadband service in innovative ways that demonstrate outstanding technological advances or exemplary service.

NextNet and SSI Micro were recognized for a project in Nunavut and NW Territories in Canada. SSI Micro, the largest ISP in Northern Canada, holds the MCS (2500 - 2596 MHz) licensed frequencies covering 68,000 Canadians across 3.5M sq. km. in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. SSI Micro operates as its own ISP in Yellowknife and as a bandwidth wholesaler in other markets, where it works with retail ISP partners to deliver broadband services to unserved and underserved populations in Northern Canada. On Feb. 11, 2004, SSI Micro launched Canada's first commercial NLOS plug & play broadband wireless services, in the capital city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, utilizing NLOS plug & play technology provided by NextNet. SSI Micro's service reaches 95% of the homes in Yellowknife today, and extends several miles outside the city. The Yellowknife NLOS service competes directly with cable and DSL, but offers a more reliable and cost-effective solution. This new service offering has resulted in rapid market uptake, giving SSI Micro a substantial share of the residential and commercial market in under a year. At least 60% of SSI Micro's subscribers represent churn from other services, including cable and DSL. SSI Micro subscribers cite an improvement in service, reliability and cost as key reasons for their switch to SSI Micro broadband wireless service. SSI Micro offers two service packages in Yellowknife, aimed at residential and corporate clients, respectively. Residential service in Yellowknife is $59.95/month. Commercial service is $149.95 per month. Both packages include modem rental, e-mail addresses and various other value added services.

"The success of SSI Micro's NLOS broadband wireless service in Yellowknife during 2004 opened the door for creating new opportunities for growth and expansion in unserved and underserved communities in Northern Canada," the companies report. "During the coming year, SSI Micro will connect communities in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut on one common shared network, allowing for full roaming between sites, creating the largest and coldest hot spot on the planet."

About NextNet(R) Wireless, Inc.:

NextNet (www.nextnetwireless.com) is the industry's most widely deployed provider of NLOS plug & play broadband wireless access systems. The Expedience(R) system is deployed over licensed frequencies today in 30 markets globally, including Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Latin America, where NextNet is the exclusive NLOS plug & play system supplier for MVS Comunicaciones, Mexico's largest MMDS carrier, with licensed spectrum covering 67 million potential subscribers. In the USA, NextNet's Expedience solution is deployed by Clearwire, Plateau and a number of other ISPs in Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas. NextNet is also the exclusive NLOS plug & play system supplier for the Canadian joint venture of Inukshuk, Allstream, and NR Communications, which holds licensed spectrum covering 30 million Canadians. In October 2004, Intel announced a joint development agreement, with McCaw-owned Clearwire to deploy future products supporting the upcoming IEEE 802.16e standard for WiMAX, using BWA equipment from NextNet, including future Intel silicon products. This agreement also involved a significant investment in Clearwire by Intel. NextNet is a principal member of the WiMAX Forum(TM).

About SSI Micro:

SSI Micro (www.ssimicro.com), the largest ISP in Northern Canada, holds the MCS (2500 - 2596 MHz) licensed frequencies covering 68,000 Canadians across 3.5M sq. km. in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. SSI Micro operates as its own ISP in Yellowknife and as a bandwidth wholesaler in other markets, where it works with retail ISP partners to deliver broadband services to unserved and underserved populations in Northern Canada. On February 11, 2004, SSI Micro launched Canada's first commercial NLOS plug & play broadband wireless services, in the capital city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (population 21K.) utilizing NLOS technology, provided by NextNet. SSI Micro's service reaches 95% of the homes in Yellowknife today, and extends several miles outside the city.

About the Wireless Communications Association and WCA's Symposium & Expo:

Founded in 1988, the Wireless Communications Association (www.wcai.com) is the trade association for the wireless broadband industry. Its membership includes leading system operators, equipment manufacturers and consultants deploying wireless broadband service worldwide. WCA and its License Exempt Alliance have been active in virtually every major FCC proceeding relating to wireless broadband spectrum, as well as many comparable proceedings internationally. WCA's annual Symposium at the San Jose Fairmont Hotel convenes 120 speakers from leading companies around the world, and is the major global event in wireless broadband for the fall-winter-spring months.