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Mesh Networks to Drive Wireless Growth in the New YearLOS GATOS, Calif., Jan. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Firetide, Inc., a developer of multi-service mesh networks, today announced the company's forward-looking perspective for the wireless networking industry. Firetide's market strategy has resulted in significant increases in revenue and installations in 2006 and the company attributes its success to accurately reading trends and preparing its technology and distribution channel to meet growing demands for freedom and mobility. Public Safety as High Priority Mesh applications for public safety and video surveillance continue to show very strong growth and the company estimates the overall market for IP- based video cameras alone to be well over $650 million in 2007. Reasons given include increased homeland security initiatives, widespread social acceptance of surveillance in public areas, and the many cost benefits of using mesh networks for video installations. "Public safety is the leading motivator for municipalities deploying wireless networks," said Bo Larsson, CEO of Firetide. "Our strategy to enable conventional surveillance cameras to operate wirelessly over our mesh has become extremely popular with cities and police departments of all sizes. Allowing them to operate cameras anywhere without expensive and restrictive cabling is revolutionizing public safety. And with 24/7 monitoring of more locations, fewer additional officers are needed on the streets, and criminal activity typically goes down by 25 percent or more in these areas resulting in significant reductions in property damage and human injury." Wireless Industry is Maturing As wireless networks mature and become more pervasive, the company expects end users to demand better network connectivity and reliability wherever they go. "The amazing growth of Wi-Fi meshes of all forms is powerful evidence that meshes have established themselves as the most important architecture for wireless networks," said Craig Mathias, a Principal with the wireless and mobile advisory firm Farpoint Group (Ashland, MA). "As demands for reliability, performance, and even ubiquity in wireless networks continue to build, meshes are the obvious answer." In response to demands for major improvements in network performance and services, Firetide has outlined key issues that will drive purchasing decisions for wireless networks in 2007: * Increased network reliability including improved performance, dependability, and security * A broader range of services, not just with for video, voice, and wireless access, but also full interoperability with other vendors' equipment and applications as well as multiple wireless spectrums and technology environments * Ubiquitous connectivity, including currently underserved rural areas and small communities * High speed mobility for video, voice, and data applications used in public transportation and public safety vehicles Enterprise Gains Momentum While most mesh vendors focused solely on selling municipal Wi-Fi solutions, Firetide has consistently delivered its mesh technology to both municipal and enterprise customers. Enterprise mesh networks typically have additional feature requirements including support for non-Wi-Fi devices, seamless integration with existing private networks, multiple security options, and the ability to support and prioritize video, voice, and data streams within the same infrastructure. Today over 50 percent of Firetide installations are for enterprise customers covering a wide range of applications from RFID inventory management to wireless point-of-sale transactions and indoor and outdoor LAN extensions. "Municipalities have been the first to discover that mesh networks provide added public safety benefits, including simple solutions for connecting wireless cameras to fight crime and access critical databases throughout a community," said Larsson. "Business are following suit and discovering more uses for mesh networks. With this development, we expect video surveillance and enterprise applications to increase as much as eight times in the next three years." Strategies That Drive Success To better serve this industry in 2007 and beyond, Firetide has significantly increased its distributor base to include over seven major global distributors covering municipal, enterprise, and public safety markets. "We are working closely with all of our distributors to drive business and to deliver the right products and solutions to their reseller base," said Larsson. "Our sales partners are very enthusiastic about the performance and flexibility of our system because it enables a very quick entry into enterprise class wireless networking at lower cost than most of their previous offerings. As a result they are taking full advantage of our numerous training and marketing materials and are including our mesh solution as part of their own marketing programs and integrated solutions." Firetide Validations and Innovation By late 2006, Firetide transformed its mesh network product line into a complete end-to-end wireless ecosystem incorporating a high performance wireless mesh infrastructure, carrier-class wireless access solutions, and a network controller function to enhance system intelligence and throughput and to provide high speed mobility and roaming for both the mesh infrastructure as well as Wi-Fi clients. This complete, three-part solution is unique in the mesh industry and is currently being deployed in Singapore as part of one of the world's largest and fastest Wi-Fi hot zones. About Firetide Inc. Firetide is the leading provider of multi-service mesh networks that enable concurrent video, voice, and data for municipal, public safety, and enterprise applications. Firetide HotPort mesh nodes and HotPoint access points provide a reliable high performance wireless infrastructure and access solution for video surveillance, Internet access, public safety networks, and temporary networks wherever rapid deployment, mobility, and easy of installation are required. The company's patented AutoMesh flow-based routing protocol optimizes network performance and capacity for high bandwidth and latency sensitive applications. Headquartered in Los Gatos, California, Firetide is a privately held company with worldwide product distribution. For more information, visit http://www.firetide.com/ . Firetide, Inc. CONTACT: Mike Downes of Firetide, Inc., +1-808-387-2181, [email protected]; or Dominic Ybarra of Edelman, +1-650-762-2960, [email protected], for Firetide Web site: http://www.firetide.com/ |