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RoamAD Announces 802.11b Breakthrough with Metropolitan-Wide Wi-Fi Network
802.11b enhanced to give ubiquitous non line-of-sight secure mobile broadband coverage to entire cities
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — August 27, 2002 — RoamAD, a New Zealand based wireless technology company, today announced a genuine breakthrough in mobile broadband technology. Utilizing its multipoint-to-multipoint non line-of-sight network technology and proprietary enhancement to the IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi) standard, RoamAD is able to deploy metropolitan-wide networks that give end-users an always-on secure mobile broadband connection.
RoamAD has already deployed a three square kilometer demonstration network within the CBD in support of the initial stage of its metropolitan-wide (100 sq. km.) IEEE 802.11b network in Auckland, New Zealand. The RoamAD network provides end-users with secure, non-line-of-sight, always-on, mobile broadband connectivity to the Internet, office networks and the PSTN.
Within the RoamAD network, end-users already enjoy ubiquitous coverage and the ability to roam seamlessly with 100% committed information rates of anything up to 330Kbps.
Because the technology is 100% compatible with 802.11b, end-users can connect to the RoamAD network with any Wi-Fi device. Many laptops are now being shipped with Wi-Fi capability built-in. In such cases a user account is all that is required to enable full broadband access to the Internet, office networks or the PSTN from anywhere within the city. Users of non-Wi-Fi laptops and PDAs will require 802.11b PCMCIA cards, which simply slots into the credit-card sized port of the laptop or expansion sleeve of the PDA.
RoamAD is now the leader in the development of 802.11b services and is poised to become the leading network provider for mobile business communications. RoamAD’s easy-to-use and affordable enhancements unleash the mobile potential of devices such as laptops and PDAs, and the everyday functionality of e-mail, intranets and the Internet. By providing dedicated mobile broadband access across entire cities, RoamAD significantly extend the utility of these mobile devices for individuals who need or want access to the Internet, their corporate networks, e-mail or video-conferencing. “Simply put, RoamAD transforms the Internet into what it should be: something that is all around you, all the time” explains Paul Stoddart, RoamAD’s Chief Executive Officer. “RoamAD provides 3G functionality right here, right now and on an everyday device. And without the 3G investment.”
Adversary Defeated (A.D.)
In 1997, shortly after the 802.11 standard was ratified by the IEEE, RoamAD’s engineers advanced theories they had been working on for a number of years to extend and enhance the standard for the purpose of building metropolitan-wide wireless networks. While constantly developing and evolving the mathematical algorithms and deployment techniques that would enhance the utility of 802.11b, they achieved major breakthroughs in overcoming the issues of end-user and network security, network congestion and interference, dependence on line-of-sight, scalability and the reliance on terrestrial backhaul.
The RoamAD network utilizes proprietary propagation algorithms and multipoint-to-multipoint network architecture. This allows RoamAD to deploy its proprietary enhancement to 802.11b over areas of hundreds of square kilometers with ubiquitous non line-of-sight coverage. Furthermore, the RoamAD network operates without amplification and without interference to existing users of the 2.4GHz ISM band.
RoamAD has succeeded in extending and enhancing the utility and performance of 802.11b, while still maintaining its integrity and compatibility with the 802.11b standard being built into millions of mobile devices around the world.
“The wireless industry is committed to using 802.11b technology to deliver affordable high speed networking via hotspots. RoamAD is already delivering this functionality to an area of 3 square kilometers, with the ability to expand this coverage to entire cities. With RoamAD’s technology the Wi-Fi proposition becomes a whole lot more compelling by providing always on high speed internet across a much greater area. We are extremely excited about the potential this breakthrough provides customers who are demanding mobility when rolling out new business applications” said Tim Hemingway, NZ Country Manager for Cisco Systems Inc.
Accelerated Deployment (A.D.)
The RoamAD solution represents an unparalleled commercial opportunity for network service providers. The low cost and high speed of deployment in the short term is matched by the long term potential for integrating complementary 3G services. “RoamAD’s technology will allow 2.5G and 3G network operators to enhance their product portfolio, differentiate themselves, and improve their competitive position by offering their customers metropolitan wide higher bandwidth services without the 3G price tag” said RoamAD founder and Chairman Martyn Levy. “Incumbent network operators can complement rather than cannibalize their existing mobile data services.”
RoamAD’s technology will enable service providers to deploy metropolitan-wide RoamAD networks in major cities throughout the world for approximately 5% of the cost of equivalently sized 3G networks. The cost of end-user CPE is minimal – there is no requirement for networks to subsidize the cost of consumer hardware because RoamAD works on existing access devices. Furthermore, RoamAD operates over the general license 2.4 GHz ISM band and does not require any of the investment in spectrum that cost network operators GBP 22.6 billion in the UK alone. The continuing development of the IEEE 802.11 standard (and the backward compatibility defined within it) is highly supportive of the long-term viability of RoamAD as a global metropolitan mobile broadband standard.
The recent development of dual mode PCMCIA cards – compatible with both 802.11b and the latest mobile telephony standards (such as GPRS and CDMA 1X) – present a further significant commercial opportunity for RoamAD’s breakthrough technology. Such dual mode functionality has the potential to provide end-users with fast affordable access to RoamAD networks in metropolitan areas, handing over to the more expensive and slower 2.5G networks elsewhere.
NTT DoCoMo in Japan, BT in the UK and Voicestream in the US have all announced their intention to establish public-access 802.11b hotspots to complement their next generation mobile networks. RoamAD’s technology extends this opportunity, beyond hotspots, by providing entire metropolitan coverage. With RoamAD, ubiquitous mobile metropolitan broadband is an affordable reality and an extremely compelling one for 2.5G or 3G users.
Anywhere Downtown (A.D.)
Utilizing a proprietary breakthrough that enhances and extends the functionality of the IEEE 802.11b standard, RoamAD technology gives end-users the performance and freedom of high-speed mobile access to the Internet, corporate networks, e-mail and video-conferencing through their existing laptops and PDAs.
Key end-user benefits include the following:
1. RoamAD offers true metropolitan-wide mobility with 98% coverage and seamless handoff and roaming between points of presence within the network area.
2. The RoamAD solution provides end-users with full duplex broadband connectivity at 100% committed bit rates across its network of anything up to 330 kbps.
3. The marginal cost of CPE and substantially lower network infrastructure costs result in an end-user price point that is competitive with conventional landline and cable broadband services, and dramatically below those of 2.5G and 3G mobile services.
4. RoamAD is unique in offering full quality of service to end-users of its mobile broadband network. 100% committed information rates across its network allows end-users to fully utilize latency sensitive applications such as voice and video-conferencing. The RoamAD solution is fully interoperable with local PSTNs.
5. RoamAD operates with a multitude of encryption protocols in conjunction with authentication systems that provides a genuinely secure wireless connection.
6. The RoamAD service is extremely easy to install and easy to use. It is both device and application agnostic and compatible with all Wi-Fi devices and access hardware. End-users continue to enjoy the benefits of their existing applications, operating system, user interface and hardware.
Essentially RoamAD offers end-users the combined benefits of mobility provided by cellular networks, bandwidth available from fixed broadband networks, and quality of service available on a traditional landline networks.
About 802.11b (Wi-Fi)
802.11b (Wi-Fi) is a global standard for wireless networking and the dominant form of wireless LAN technology. 802.11b uses the general license 2.4 GHz ISM radio spectrum to provide high-speed connectivity and end-user mobility at bandwidths of up to 11 Mbps. With a range of less than 100 meters and an inability to penetrate concrete, 802.11b is the perfect short-range corporate networking solution. It is the technology behind Apple Airports and the majority of higher-end laptops are now 802.11b enabled. In fact by 2006 analysts expect 66% of laptops and 33% of PDAs to be 802.11b enabled. This would mean an increase in the number of 802.11b enabled devices – in Europe alone – from 1 million today to 75 million in 2006.
Unlike 3G and the associated struggles, delays and costs of implementation, Wi-Fi is cheap, fast and works today. Many companies have already identified and realized the opportunity to use 802.11b as a public-access technology.
The most common public-access implementation of 802.11b technology has been in the form of hotspots. These localized shared-broadband public access points offer fast wireless Internet access to subscribers who are within 100 meters and line-of-sight of the base station. These hotspots are typically located in coffee shops, airports, hotels and college campuses. Hotspots however, are unable to provide mobility, dedicated bandwidth, quality of service or security.
About RoamAD
RoamADTM is a New Zealand based wireless technology company pioneering a proprietary enhancement to the IEEE 802.11b wireless standard that enables metropolitan-wide mobile broadband connectivity. New Zealand is currently home to the world’s first RoamAD network - a fully functional demonstration network covering 3 sq. km. of downtown Auckland. Anywhere within this network users experience an always-on mobile wireless broadband connection to the Internet, their office network, the PSTN and other end-users. RoamAD’s proprietary technology, a 100% compatible enhancement of the IEEE 802.11b global standard, extends and enhances the capabilities of 802.11b without amplification and without compromise. Its multipoint-to-multipoint network provides non line-of-sight ubiquitous coverage and quality of service connectivity for data, video-conferencing and voice.
The RoamAD board of directors includes current and former top regional executives from leading wireless technology companies such as BellSouth, Cisco Systems and Compaq Computers. The RoamAD management team is led by Paul Stoddart, Chief Executive Officer, with over 10 years experience in senior management positions with BellSouth, Vodafone New Zealand and Walker Wireless.
The Romans built an empire based on infrastructural breakthroughs such as viaducts, sanitation and roads. 2000 years later RoamAD is poised to transform the communications infrastructure of cities throughout the world. To learn more about RoamAD, please visit www.roamad.com.
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