Wi-LAN Shipping W-OFDM 3.5 GHz Broadband Wireless Product.

Business Editors

TMA 2001

Booth No. M205

BRIGHTON, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 29, 2001

Wi-LAN Inc. (TSE:WIN.)

BWS 3500 Provides Customers With Superior Multipath

Resistance and Non-Line of Sight Performance Using W-OFDM

Technology; BWS 3500 is in General Availability

Wi-LAN Inc. (TSE:WIN.), a global innovator of high-speed wireless data/Internet communications, today at the TMA 2001 Conference and Exhibition in Brighton, England launched the BWS 3500 system, a new addition to its broadband wireless access series for use in the 3.5 GHz licensed frequency band.

For service providers offering broadband wireless access, the BWS 3500 offers superior multipath robustness, improved non-line of sight (NLOS) performance and high spectral efficiency using Wi-LAN's patented W-OFDM (Wide-band Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) technology.

"At TMA2001, attendees will see our commercially available BWS 3500 system, which can be ordered today," said Dr. Sisso El-Hamamsy, Chief Operating Officer, Wi-LAN Inc. "Wi-LAN's BWS 3500 system enables service providers to rapidly grow their business by acquiring and rolling out to customers more efficiently, as we have seen with key customers in Europe."

Operating at an unprecedented throughput of up to 192 megabits per second per six-sector cell, Wi-LAN's BWS Series includes access points and customer premises equipment (CPE), and can be used in broadband access applications alone or in combination with wired alternatives. The BWS Series also offers an eave-height integrated antenna and outdoor unit (ODU) that allows for quick and economical installation of point-to-point and point-to-multipoint applications. Wi-LAN's broadband wireless access systems are powered by the company's patented W-OFDM technology, allowing for increased capacity, non line-of-site capability, and superior resistance to multipath, resulting in higher effective data transmission rates and a typical range of 15 kilometres.

"As an operator offering wireless public broadband access to our customers, the BWS 3500 opens up new possibilities for Tele2," says Niklas Lindhe, Business Development - New Markets of Tele2 AB. "The BWS 3500 has been in pre-commercial operation in one of our markets and has proved its promise of increased capacity. When comparing the OFDM technology with the DS-CDMA and FH-CDMA (TDMA)-based wireless systems in our operations, we are now convinced that OFDM, thanks to the low symbol rate, solves many of the practical problems associated with near line of sight installations, making the system very robust."

Using a cellular network design, Wi-LAN's solution can easily serve a growing customer base. Network cells can be expanded quickly, and cost effectively. By starting small and expanding, network operators experience early profits. The current hardware is capable of supporting several generations of enhancement to the system software. Features such as QoS, VoIP, video services, and differentiated customer access will be available, as the market requires, via over-the-air software upgrades. The BWS 3500 is offered in different channel sizes to meet the needs of country licensing bodies and coverage requirements of the service provider.

Orders are being accepted for shipment today for Wi-LAN's BWS 3500. To place an order or for more information on the BWS 3500, please call Wi-LAN at [phone], or email [e-mail]. The BWS 3500 will be on display at the TMA 2001 Conference and Exhibition in Brighton, UK - October 29-31, 2001 in the Chronos Technology Ltd. (a valued Wi-LAN channel partner) booth # M205.

The W-OFDM Advantage

W-OFDM is a variation of OFDM that further improves its characteristics. The signal reception is corrected for distortions, allowing greater transmission speeds, and processes the signal to maximize the range and multipath resistance. W-OFDM allows lower-power, multipoint radio frequency (RF) networks to be implemented, minimizing interference with adjacent networks.

W-OFDM effectively permits several independent channels to operate within the same band, allowing multipoint networks and point-to-point backbone systems to be overlaid on one another in the same frequency band. Less disruption of adjacent users and insensitivity to external noise means that high-speed multipoint data networks can be simply and rapidly deployed. Once installed, these systems are tolerant to changes in the RF environment, limiting maintenance requirements, and the systems can be easily expanded to meet the user's changing needs.

About Wi-LAN Inc.

Wi-LAN is a global innovator in the field of high-speed wireless data communications, specializing in high-speed Internet access, LAN/WAN extension and broadband wireless access. Wi-LAN is the Chair Company of the OFDM Forum (www.ofdm-forum.com). Wi-LAN believes its W-OFDM patent is necessary for the implementation of devices using the IEEE 802.11a or ETSI BRAN HiperLAN/2 standards. Wi-LAN's products have been sold in more than 50 countries on six continents. Wi-LAN's common shares trade on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WIN." Detailed information on Wi-LAN can be found at www.wi-lan.com.