10/09/2001
Wi-LAN VIP 110-24 Provides Industry’s First Anypoint-to-multipoint Mesh-Networks
CALGARY, Canada & SANTA BARBARA, California
October 9, 2001 Wi-LAN Inc. (TSE:WIN), an innovator of high-speed wireless data/Internet communications, today announced that it has received a US$500,000 purchase order from its master distributor in India, Tropicana Telecom, for its new VIP 110-24 Wireless Ethernet Router. The new Wi-LAN VIP 110-24 is an 11 Mbps wireless Ethernet router operating in the 2.4 GHz unlicensed frequency band, which uses the company’s VINE™ (Versatile Intelligent Networking Environment) technology to deliver the industry’s first "anypoint-to-multipoint" mesh-network architecture.
"The VIP 110-24 is an exciting addition to Wi-LAN's portfolio of wireless networking products," said Dr. Hatim Zaghloul, President, Chairman and CEO, Wi-LAN Inc. "It gives our customers an extra degree of freedom in designing their wireless networks, and presents them with many additional benefits, including non-line-of-sight capabilities and network redundancy."
Developed by Wi-LAN Technologies in Santa Barbara, California, VINE technology allows the VIP 110-24 to send simultaneous data transmissions in the same geographic area, while it coordinates those transmissions using time, frequency, and directional diversity in order to keep them collision-free. This breakthrough in wireless networking allows each VIP 110-24 in the network to act as an access point, repeater, or end node, making it easier for customers to both install and manage their wireless networks.
"The VIP 110-24 represents a significant step in the evolution of wireless networking, especially for ISPs," said Hank Macchio, President, Wi-LAN Technologies. "This product is attractive to operators due to its ease of scalability, quick time-to-market, lack of recurring costs, and easy installation."
The VINE architecture is a hybrid between point-to-multipoint and mesh network topologies that keeps the advantages of both. It facilitates a scalable fixed wireless network that can be deployed a node at a time. For a new node to become part of an existing network, all that is needed is for it to be within radio frequency reach of any other node already in the network. Once part of the network, the new node can become the access point for other new nodes. This architectural flexibility allows network planners to implement coverage quickly and cost-effectively, adding capacity when necessary.
"We are excited about the new VIP 110-24 product entering into India's fast growing wireless market," said Mr. Shyam Sethi, Executive Vice Present of Tropicana Telecom. "Using Wi-LAN’s existing wireless products has allowed us to gain extensive market share in India in both the ISPs and private network markets. The VIP 110-24 allows us to strategically consolidate our position further, and continue to offer state of the art solutions to India's largest Internet Service Providers."
Based in New Delhi, India, Tropicana Telecom provides a wide range of turnkey serial and Ethernet solutions for the emerging Indian telecom market.
Since the first commercial shipments of the VIP 110-24 in August 2001, Wi-LAN has delivered the VIP 110-24 to customers around the world, including the United States, India, Africa, Latin America, and China.
About Wi-LAN Technologies:
Wi-LAN Technologies, a subsidiary of Wi-LAN Inc., designs, manufactures, integrates and markets broadband wireless Internet access and data transmission network products. The company's core competency is direct sequence spread spectrum communications, and its products operate in the 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz license-exempt frequency bands. Wi-LAN Technologies’ VINE technology permits the implementation of long-distance, medium-subscriber density broadband Internet access networks a node-at-a-time. VINE networks have significantly lower costs than conventional cell-based networks. Detailed information on Wi-LAN Technologies can be found at www.ucwireless.com.