WARWICK, R.I., April 26, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- ICOA, Inc. (OTCBB:ICOA), today announced that its subsidiary, Airport Network Solutions, has been selected to offer Public Broadband Internet Access at the Spokane International Airport in Spokane, Washington. The network will be used by travelers, airport administration and operations, and airport tenants, such as airlines and rental car companies for a variety of applications. ANS is a neutral-host Wi-Fi provider and deploys systems that are compatible with multiple Internet service subscription plans.
"We are excited to have been selected by Spokane International Airport as their exclusive partner for the deployment of an airport-wide Wi-Fi network. We know that the competition for this venue was significant and feel that the selection of ANS by Spokane International Airport further validates our value proposition to airports," said Rick Schiffmann, CEO of Airport Network Solutions. "This will be our fifth airport-wide Wi-Fi deployment and marks a shift for us from proof-of-concept to market validation. Once Spokane is deployed, ANS will operate Wi-Fi networks in airports servicing over 16 million travelers per year."
ANS has chosen Vivato, a leading provider of wireless networking equipment, to create the infrastructure for ubiquitous wireless Internet service throughout the airport terminal building and the three concourses. ANS selected Vivato because one Vivato 2.4 GHz Switch provides 3-to-10 times the range of a standard access point, making deployment faster, network management easier and installation less expensive.
"Airports are a key vertical market for ICOA. Due to their high concentration laptop-toting frequent business traveler, airports are widely considered to be the beachfront property of Wi-Fi. We feel that having a focused airport organization helps to distinguish ICOA from other industry participants," said ICOA's CEO, George Strouthopoulos. "I believe that David Hagan, Boingo's President and COO put it well when he said: 'Wi-Fi services are not just for the biggest airports any more -- business travelers now expect Wi-Fi in all airports they visit. As equipment costs decrease and user demand increases, all airports can deploy profitable high-quality networks that their visitors will come to rely on. ANS is well positioned to leverage this trend toward everywhere Wi-Fi access and we look forward to working with them as they grow.'"
Spokane International Airport had nearly 3 million passengers in 2003. ANS anticipates commercial launch of the network over the summer.
ICOA has previously announced Wi-Fi service operations for the Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana Airport (BTR), Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT), Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) and Sacramento International Airport (SMF). With these five airports deployed, ICOA will offer Wi-Fi service to over 16 million airport passengers per year.
About ICOA and ANS
ICOA, Inc. (www.icoacorp.com) (OTCBB:ICOA), located in Warwick, R.I., is a provider of Public Broadband Internet Access. Its subsidiary, ANS, partners with airports to design, install, operate, maintain, and manage a single, neutral, common-use 802.11x standard WLAN (or Wi-Fi) infrastructure throughout their facility. Airlines, the traveling public and all other constituencies within the airport community are then able to use this secure and efficient wireless infrastructure.
ICOA, Inc. owns, operates and manages private networks of Wi-Fi Hot Spots and Internet Terminals (WebCenter3000(TM)). ICOA operates more than 250 Internet-points-of-presence nationwide in airports, conference centers, fast casual restaurants, and marinas. The Company provides fully managed Wi-Fi and wired broadband Internet connectivity, transactions processing, Internet services, and location based content. ICOA currently operates installations at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana Airport (BTR), Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Savannah Hilton-Head International Airport (SAV), Sporty's FBO at the Clermont County Airport, Rhode Island's Newport Harbor 'Hot Zone', 160+ Panera Bread (http://www.panerabread.com) locations, Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center and several prestigious hotels.
About Vivato
Vivato is a provider of networking equipment for complete wireless broadband solutions. Vivato's technology is based upon an innovative signal processing and antenna design. Vivato's unique system architecture enables cost-effective, large-scale indoor and outdoor wireless deployments at hotels, airports, seaports, warehouses, universities, and in cities and towns. Vivato is headquartered in San Francisco, with a research and development center in Spokane, Wash. For more information, please visit www.vivato.net or call 415.495.1111.
About Boingo Wireless
Boingo Wireless, Inc. is an ultra-high-speed wireless Internet service available in thousands of locations such as hotels, airports, cafes, and other public places, in dozens of countries throughout the world. Both directly and through major carrier and ISP partners, Boingo provides business travelers with a wireless broadband Internet connection to improve productivity while on the road. Through its Wi-Fi software and Roaming System, Boingo makes finding and connecting to Wi-Fi networks point-and-click simple and secure. More information about Boingo is available at http://www.boingo.com.
'Safe Harbor'
The foregoing contains "forward-looking statements" which are based on management's beliefs as well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events and information currently available to management. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside ICOA's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. For a more detailed description of the factors that could cause such a difference, please see ICOA's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ICOA disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This information is presented solely to provide additional information to further understand the results of ICOA.