Telecom Ottawa Launches Municipal Wi-Fi Trial In Ottawa With BelAir Networks Cellular LAN System.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2004

Telecom Ottawa Limited, a broadband data utility and Internet services provider operating in Eastern Ontario, Canada has launched a municipal Wi-Fi service trial in the City of Ottawa using the BelAir Networks cellular LAN architecture.

The trial involves deployment of BelAir200 wireless internetworking nodes to provide Wi-Fi service in the common areas and meeting rooms at Ottawa City Hall and in the public areas of the Nepean Sportsplex, a sports and recreation facility. These deployments will allow visitors to use standard Wi-Fi-enabled hardware such as laptops and PDAs to wirelessly access the Internet for e-mail, web surfing, virtual private networks for corporate access, file transfer and instant messaging.

"When you combine Wi-Fi technology like that developed by BelAir Networks with a fiber backbone of the kind employed by Telecom Ottawa, you suddenly have very cost-effective access technology for providing high-speed wireless Internet service at the municipal level," said Dave Dobbin, Chief Operating Officer, Telecom Ottawa."

The BelAir200 system deployed by Telecom Ottawa is a wireless internetworking platform that combines the best of WLAN and cellular technologies to provide wireless broadband coverage that scales to metropolitan dimensions. It is designed to beam Wi-Fi signals into a building from the outside and provide coverage to multiple floors at once. This unique approach simplifies WLAN infrastructures for medium and large venues and drastically reduces associated WLAN capital expenditures and operating expenditures. BelAir200 systems are interconnected by a multiple point-to-point wireless mesh that provides a carrier grade wireless backbone network and allows for placement of BelAir200 systems near desired coverage areas.

"Municipal Wi-Fi networks are an emerging trend and this trial demonstrates how our products can be used for city center deployments to go beyond basic Wi-Fi hot spots and extend coverage into much larger hot zones," said Phil Belanger, Vice-President of Marketing, BelAir Networks. "We're pleased to be able to partner with Telecom Ottawa to do this trial in our own back yard. BelAir Networks and Telecom Ottawa share the same vision for extending the reach of wireless Internet access throughout the city."

About BelAir Networks

BelAir Networks is a wireless infrastructure supplier that provides advanced, multi-service, wireless internetworking solutions. Combining the best of WLAN and cellular technologies, the BelAir Networks system goes beyond basic Wi-Fi to enable carrier-grade cellular LAN solutions. The patented BelAir Networks multiple point-to-point wireless mesh architecture provides a high capacity wireless backbone. BelAir products combine this secure wireless backbone with wireless access solutions such as Wi-Fi to deliver practical deployment of wireless networks in city centers and larger venues.

About Telecom Ottawa

Telecom Ottawa is a broadband data utility and Internet services provider based in Ottawa with operations in Eastern Ontario. The company's 10 Gigabit Ethernet network is the largest metropolitan-wide network in North America, with 600 kilometers of fiber optic cable. This broadband infrastructure enables the provision of bandwidth capacity for data networking, high-speed Internet access, e-business applications and multimedia services. In providing services to businesses and public-sector organizations, Telecom Ottawa also delivers an extensive portfolio of ISP capabilities such as email, web hosting, wireless and remote Internet access. The company is a subsidiary of Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc.