Mobile Internet Growth Spurs Colgate University to Provide Wireless Access to Downtown Hamilton, New York and the College with Tropos/Integral Wi-Fi Solution.

Students' Digital Lifestyle Ignites Demand for Ubiquitous Wireless Broadband 

HAMILTON, N.Y. -- Tropos Networks, the market leader for metro-scale wireless mesh network systems, and Integral Wireless Solutions, Inc. (IWS), a pioneer in the design and deployment of wireless network (WLAN) infrastructure and application integration, today announced that Colgate University, one of the leading liberal arts universities in the country, now provides live Wi-Fi services to the college campus and downtown Hamilton, New York, in response to their students' increasing digital lifestyle and the growth of the mobile internet.

Jason Rand, a senior at Colgate, said, "Having wireless Internet all around campus and in the village of Hamilton makes connecting to the Web extremely easy and convenient. As a busy college student, being able to get online virtually anywhere at Colgate is one less thing for me to have to worry about."

The network, owned and operated by Colgate University, meets the huge demand by students armed with laptops, music players, communicators, gaming and other devices to be able to access the Internet as well as academic services such as course management, library, campus portal and e-mail at any time and anyplace. The outdoor network was constructed using Tropos Networks wireless routers.

"In the last two to three years, we noticed that our students have a much more digital lifestyle, owning three to four different mobile devices. There has been a pent-up demand for ubiquitous broadband wireless access, particularly in the residential dorms, on campus and where students congregate," said Rich Grant, associate director of technology planning at Colgate. "As a result, we launched an initiative to provide a pervasive Wi-Fi network, including outdoors on the campus and in the downtown area of Hamilton where many of our students live. Now, we have from 1,500 to 2,000 users of the Wi-Fi network at any given moment."

As students enroll at Colgate, they are automatically issued a password and e-mail account on the network so they can immediately get access to the course management system as well as to the Internet. While the primary use of the network is for the students and faculty, the public can also log in as guests at no charge for Internet access in certain areas of the downtown, including the village square, the Colgate Inn and Barge coffee house.

The Tropos routers were chosen by Colgate for their flexible technology platform, reliability and number of units needed to meet the university's requirements for outdoor area coverage resulting in an overall cost effective solution.

"Our experience in the design of wireless network solutions for the education marketplace resulted in the extensive Wi-Fi network system that was deployed throughout the Colgate campus and in the town of Hamilton, using backhaul provided by Colgate's fiber network," said Mickey Branson, Vice President of Sales for the Northeast Region at IWS. "The network design, deployment and overall operation has resulted in significant adoption by students and businesses alike exceeding Colgate's expectations."

Future applications for the network include voice over IP (VoIP) as well as asset tracking capability for laptops, audio visual equipment, textbooks and files.

About Tropos

Tropos[R] Networks is the market leader in delivering metro-scale Wi-Fi mesh network systems. Our systems have been selected to unwire more major league cities than all competitors combined and are installed in 30 countries. The patented Tropos MetroMesh[TM] architecture delivers the ultimate scalability, high capacity at low cost and great user experience demanded by carriers, municipalities and network users. Our unique expertise includes high-performance mesh software development, mesh RF engineering, metro-scale network planning, deployment and optimization, and navigating the municipal approval process. Tropos Networks is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, please visit www.tropos.com, call 408-331-6800 or write to [e-mail].

Tropos is a registered trademark of Tropos Networks, Inc. Tropos Networks, MetroMesh, PWRP, AMCE and Metro-Scale Mesh Networking Defined are trademarks of Tropos Networks, Inc. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holder(s).

About Integral Wireless Solutions, Inc.

IWS is a nationally recognized WLAN System Integrator (SI) with domain expertise in the design and deployment of the most cost efficient and technologically advanced wireless infrastructure and mobile applications. Company founders and executives are recognized nationally for their contributions and promotion for the delivery of integrated wireless network solutions. IWS represents many years of experience in the design and delivery of complex installations in the converged wireless world.

IWS is headquartered in Atlanta, GA with a northeast regional office located in Blandon, PA with various strategic and alliance partners and affiliated sub-contractors located worldwide. For more information, contact the company at www.integralwireless.net.

About Colgate University

Colgate is a nationally recognized liberal arts college set on a beautiful campus in central New York. Some 2,750 undergraduates are enrolled in 51 programs, taking advantage of the university's award-winning curriculum, off-campus study program, and numerous research opportunities. Above all, Colgate is about academic excellence. It is a tradition forged in 1819 and honed through the years by each class of select students. For more information, contact the university at www.colgate.edu.