TransAria Deploys Aperto Networks PacketWave Systems Across Five States in Northwest US, for Licensed and License-Free Broadband Wireless Access.

MILPITAS, Calif. & BOZEMAN, Mont. -- TransAria, one of the fastest growing network operators in the Northwestern US, announced today that it has chosen Aperto Networks, a leading 802.16 class broadband wireless access (BWA) systems provider, as its preferred supplier of carrier-class 2.5 and 5 GHz systems for last-mile wireless access.

TransAria has already deployed Aperto's PacketWave(R) systems in both frequencies for its carrier customers, enterprise and government subscribers in Montana and Alaska, and plans to roll out Aperto-based networks in all current and proposed metro markets across six states.

Formed from the merger of three established service providers in Montana and Alaska, TransAria covers the largest cities in both states and is expanding its footprint in Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and other regions. The company is a managed data services provider, a carriers' carrier and solutions integrator whose services are used in Department of Justice and state public safety networks, banks and large public companies such as Washington Corporations, insurance and financial services customers such as Payne Financial and Blue Cross Blue Shield, retailers and television broadcasters.

"We consider Aperto's PacketWave to be the gold standard for 5 GHz and MMDS last-mile access," observed Todd Graetz, TransAria's Vice President of Operations. "We selected Aperto for its unique combination of VLAN tagging features, rich network management, SNMP support and great spectral efficiency. Our markets are highly competitive and these capabilities enable us to further enhance our performance lead over other service providers, both wireline and wireless."

He continued, "We are rapidly adding subscribers to our Aperto-powered networks, and every day we see clear proof that PacketWave minimizes interference, dramatically boosts throughput, enables us to accurately and remotely monitor performance, and delivers a very high quality signal."

TransAria's wireless infrastructure also enables four-digit voice call dialing for many of its medium and large enterprise users installing IP-PBXs for Voice applications. The provider is known for its ability to deliver Ethernet last-mile solutions which enable transparent LAN interconnection, WAN and MAN services over the same connection as well as deployment of VoIP and VPN applications. The company leverages Aperto's OptimaLink per subscriber link performance optimization features to help it minimize the effects of congestion and lessen the need for new tower construction.

"TransAria delivers standout performance in its served markets," stated Reza Ahy, Aperto CEO and president. "Firstly, its team has established very strong loyalty from its enterprise subscribers because of its technical expertise, attention to detail and progressive feature delivery. TransAria is also a highly-valued backbone and WAN aggregation provider, whose networks carry 25% of Montana's upstream Internet traffic within and between its metro areas. Therefore service quality, scalability, range and reliability are of critical importance to TransAria and its users. We are very pleased that Aperto can support TransAria's value proposition across its entire service portfolio."

About Aperto Networks

Aperto Networks is a leader in 802.16-class multiservice broadband wireless access systems for global markets. The company was founded to provide breakthrough solutions to the bottleneck in last-mile broadband access, and is a founding board member of the WiMAX Forum as well as a founder and lead contributor to IEEE 802.16 and the ETSI-BRAN standards. Its PacketWave(R) system is a family of base stations, subscriber units, radios and antennas in 2.5, 3.5 and 5 GHz frequencies for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint deployment. PacketWave's scalability and patented technologies support new wireless builds and complement wireline broadband access networks. Aperto is already deployed in 50 countries, meeting service provider needs for installation ease, IP-rich network functionality, cost effectiveness, rapid provisioning and interference resilience. For more information on Aperto Networks, go to www.apertonet.com.

About TransAria

TransAria, formerly Cutthroat Communications, is a managed data services provider specializing in mission critical and highly scalable broadband services. TransAria provides data and networking services over a private, all-IP (Internet Protocol), fixed wireless and fiber optic network. With its Network Operations Center, TransAria offers its commercial customers 7 X 24 network monitoring services, as well as enhanced traffic utilization and network surveillance reporting. The company also offers professional services, which include network audits, system design, security analysis, and wireless WAN (wide area network) construction.