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WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
EZ Wireless Selects Proxim Wi-Fi and Broadband Wireless Equipment for Public Safety
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 1 Proxim Corporation
(Nasdaq: PROX), a global leader in wireless networking equipment for Wi-Fi and
broadband wireless networks, today announced that its Tsunami Broadband
Wireless Access Systems and ORiNOCO Wireless Access Points have been deployed
in one of the country's largest and most innovative regional broadband
wireless networks. EZ Wireless, an industry leader in the design and
construction of city-wide wireless networks, selected Proxim's solutions for a
wireless network that spans nine cities in Northeastern Oregon and Washington
State, and brings new public safety and emergency response applications to the
region's police, fire and medical first responders.
Spanning multiple counties and covering 700 square miles, the network
enables a new generation of public safety and emergency management
applications for the region's police, fire, port authority and military
operations.
EZ Wireless first designed the network in 2003 to meet the needs of the
Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) at the Umatilla
Chemical Depot in Umatilla, Oregon, which stockpiles and incinerates chemical
weapons. The area's small community police forces and other emergency
responders were ill-equipped to transmit data. They had disparate voice
systems across jurisdictions making it impossible to have any visibility into
the locations and movements of dangerous chemical plumes resulting from
accidents at the Depot. First responders were unable to track emergency
situations adequately, let alone organize critical evacuations.
EZ Wireless solved this problem by designing the Incident Response
Information System (IRIS), a Geographical Information System (GIS) application
that combines layers of information on key locations throughout the cities
served in the region and transmits the data using Proxim's wireless data
networks. The system allows emergency responders to view high-resolution
satellite images of locations such as government buildings, schools and crops.
Using handheld devices, emergency responders can drill down to view maps, GPS
data, floor plans and chemical plume locations with dispersion models from the
Chemical Weapons Depot. This allows the emergency personnel to respond
quickly and effectively to emergency situations such as the accidental release
of hazardous materials.
Since the initial design of the network, public agencies in Washington and
Oregon have discovered and deployed many additional applications for the
wireless network. For example, by installing cameras along major transport
routes in the region, they can now monitor the key intersections used for
emergency evacuations. Video surveillance is backhauled via the wireless data
network. In other areas, the network is being used for emergency responder
drills and routine police work such as traffic flow and accident monitoring.
The cities are already experiencing significant benefits as a result of
the new wireless network. For example, Morrow County has reduced paperwork by
65% in its annual federal drill. The Hermiston police department will soon use
the system to allow officers to write reports while they patrol -- an expected
time savings of 50% or 2,000 hours.
Proxim's Tsunami Broadband Wireless Access Systems and ORiNOCO AP-2000
Access Points were instrumental in designing the EZ Wireless network and
providing the high reliability, ease of management and cost efficiencies
required for the critical applications the network supports. According to
Brad Kincaid, Manager of Technology for EZ Wireless, the fact that Proxim
could provide a full range of wireless networking equipment was a significant
benefit.
"Unlike many wireless vendors, Proxim has decades of proven wireless
expertise. In addition, they were the only vendor who could provide us with
both enterprise-class Wi-Fi access points and carrier-class broadband wireless
systems," Kincaid commented. "The dual radio architecture, robust
functionality including VLAN support, and manageability of the access points
were big selling points for us -- as were the reliability and cost
efficiencies of the Tsunami systems. Using Proxim's Wi-Fi and broadband
wireless products in combination, we were able to build the kind of wireless
data network that reliably supports important public safety and emergency
response applications."
"The EZ Wireless deployment is a perfect example of how Proxim's Wi-Fi and
broadband wireless solution, together, can deliver high speed connectivity and
high network reliability for the public safety market," said Ben Gibson,
senior vice president of marketing for Proxim. "These applications require
secure, high-speed broadband networks. The combination of our access points
for metro Wi-Fi coverage and Tsunami systems to backhaul traffic is a
successful model that many of our customers are deploying."
EZ Wireless plans to expand its network to address new applications
including variable message signs and reverse flow traffic, both of which
support evacuation scenarios.
About EZ Wireless
EZ Wireless is a division of IRZ Technologies, a leading provider of
turn-key, high-speed mobile data solutions for emergency management agencies,
industries and communities. EZ Wireless creates innovative wireless networks
using standard 802.11 and 802.16 technologies. Using IRZ's software, hardware
and services, EZ Wireless engineers, builds and runs its networks, giving
users cost-effective, high-speed wireless access and enabling a host of public
safety and emergency management applications. http://www.ezwireless.us
About Proxim
Proxim Corporation is a global leader in wireless networking equipment for
Wi-Fi and broadband wireless networks. The company is providing its enterprise
and service provider customers with wireless solutions for the mobile
enterprise, security and surveillance, last mile access, voice and data
backhaul, public hot spots, and metropolitan area networks. This press
release and more information about Proxim can be found on the Web at
http://www.proxim.com.
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