Press Release
BelAir Networks and PacketHop Partner to Provide Complementary Wireless Broadband Solutions for First Responders
Wide-area Wireless Broadband Networks and Mobile Mesh Communication System Providers Announce Joint Marketing Agreement
IACP CONFERENCE, MIAMI - Sept. 26, 2005 - BelAir Networks, Inc., the first company to offer scalable wide-area wireless broadband solutions for metro-scale deployments, and PacketHop, Inc., the leader in mobile mesh networking software and multimedia applications for instant wireless group communication, today announced a strategic partnership. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will co-market their standards-based products in order to provide a complementary wireless broadband solution for police, fire, emergency services and other first responder agencies. This agreement demonstrates that the companies' solutions are purely synergistic and non-competitive.
The wireless broadband capabilities of the BelAir Networks-PacketHop solution address the mission-critical need for real-time, multimedia communication and collaboration between first responder agencies at incident areas. The companies will co-market BelAir Network's wide-area wireless networking infrastructure and the AWARE™ Communications Suite - consisting of TrueMesh™ networking software and the Aware™ for Public Safety suite of multimedia applications - to offer mobile broadband communication on 802.11-enabled devices.
"PacketHop's autonomous mobile mesh networking software and powerful multimedia applications are ideally suited for BelAir's high-bandwidth network," said Bernard Herscovich, president and chief executive officer of BelAir Networks. "We look forward to working with PacketHop to deliver a complementary wireless solution for public safety so that first responders can communicate and respond to crises more effectively."
The AWARE™ Communications Suite works seamlessly with BelAir Network's infrastructure equipment since both wireless systems are standards-based. By themselves, the companies' systems are extremely powerful: the AWARE™ Communications Suite instantly creates wireless broadband networks wherever needed and offers tremendous communication capabilities via its Aware for Public Safety application suite; BelAir Network's infrastructure design delivers high throughput wherever its system is deployed.
"BelAir Networks is known for its high-bandwidth metro networking capabilities," said Michael Howse, president and chief executive officer of PacketHop. "PacketHop's software is unrivaled in its ability to create instant mobile broadband networks and applications for mission-critical communication. Our companies' combined standards-based solution will empower first responders to communicate using wireless-enabled laptops, tablets and PDAs whenever and wherever an incident occurs."
"In any emergency, lives depend on information, and how quickly it can be communicated," said Monica Paolini, founder and president of Senza Fili Consulting. "As a result, dependable, high-speed mobile networks are critical for public safety organizations."
AWARE™ Communications Suite
The AWARE™ Communications Suite is comprised of TrueMesh networking software and the Aware for Public Safety suite of multimedia broadband applications.
TrueMesh networking software easily loads onto 802.11-enabled, standards-based laptops, tablets and PDAs, allowing every device to send, receive and route date and to instantly form autonomous mobile mesh networks - extended Wi-Fi hot-zones which can securely operate with or without access points. The autonomous mobile mesh network forms immediately and adapts automatically as two or more users come in proximity. The highly scalable network grows and becomes more resilient as additional users enter, move about and depart the area, with no practical limit on the geography covered, number of users or variety of agencies at the scene.
The second component of the AWARE™ Communications Suite is the Aware for Public Safety suite of multimedia applications, which empowers first responders with broadband communication capabilities including real-time multicast video, resource tracking, instant messaging and white boarding.
The BelAir Networks Family of Products
BelAir Networks currently markets three wireless networking products; the single radio BelAir 50c wireless mesh cluster node, the dual-radio BelAir100 wireless multi-service node and the four-radio BelAir200 wireless multi-service switch router.
All BelAir deployments can be centrally managed and monitored by the BelAir BelView Network Management System (NMS), a comprehensive software package that allows network operators to easily configure, monitor and manage a complete network built with any combination of BelAir infrastructure products. The BelAir50c, the BelAir100, the BelAir200 and the BelAir BelView NMS combine to form the most comprehensive product family in the industry
BelAir's products are focused on wide-area Wi-Fi today, but the unique multi-radio wireless backhaul mesh architecture can also be applied to other wireless technologies such as WiMAX and cellular.
About PacketHop
PacketHop, Inc. develops mobile mesh networking software and multimedia applications which enable instant wireless group communications for commercial enterprises, government organizations and consumer markets. AWARE™ Communications Suite software enables 802.11 standards-based devices to create extended Wi-Fi hot-zones on the fly - known as autonomous mobile mesh networks - which can securely operate with or without access points. By making infrastructure completely optional, PacketHop delivers coverage wherever and whenever instant wireless broadband communications are needed - with greater resiliency, reliability and robustness than any other comparable technology. Along with the company's device agnostic mobile mesh networking solution that enables rapid and cost-effective deployments, PacketHop offers the Aware™ for Public Safety suite of multimedia applications, including real-time multicast video, resource tracking, instant messaging and white boarding. Founded in 2003 and based in Silicon Valley, Calif., PacketHop is funded by venture firms U.S. Venture Partners, Mayfield, ComVentures and GF Equity Partners. For more information on PacketHop, please visit www.packethop.com.
About BelAir Networks
BelAir Networks is the first company to offer scalable, wide-area wireless broadband solutions with the highest quality for data, voice and video. BelAir's wireless networking solutions are built on the only multi-service architecture for wide-area wireless broadband deployments of Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and 3G Cellular networks. Built specifically for outdoor deployments, BelAir Networks' solution delivers the lowest cost per user and deploys in days, blending into the physical infrastructure of downtown business districts, hotels and resorts, and college campuses. Founded in 2001, BelAir Networks is a privately held company headquartered in Kanata, Ontario. For more information, please visit www.belairnetworks.com.