SkyPilot Partners with CenturyTel to Deliver Vail Municipal Wi-Fi Network; Vail Leads Colorado with the First Public-Private Partnership

Business Wire, August 23, 2006

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- SkyPilot Networks, the leading provider of carrier-class broadband wireless mesh networks, announced that the Town of Vail awarded CenturyTel the contract to build and operate the Wi-Fi network, powered by SkyPilot equipment, for the Colorado ski resort destination. E[acute accent]Residents, businesses and visitors will be able to get free Internet access up to 300Kbps (kilobits per second) anywhere in town in one hour increments by the end of 2006. Faster Internet service with speeds up to 3Mbps (megabits per second) will be available with pay plans for daily, weekly or monthly access. E[acute accent]Vail is the first Colorado city to move ahead with this type of partnership to build a municipal Wi-Fi network. The town selected CenturyTel to build its system following a competitive bid process that included proposals from six other companies. The agreement was unanimously approved by the Vail Town Council at its July 18th meeting. E[acute accent]"Vail is a premier resort community thanks to its high quality year-round activities and a broad range of vacation amenities," Bob Machlin, SkyPilot president and CEO, said. "We are happy to partner with CenturyTel to bring the technology that enables this free public Wi-Fi access and scaleable municipal communications network that will allow Vail to continue to improve its leading-edge community." E[acute accent]Leveraging SkyPilot technology, CenturyTel and the Town of Vail worked together to develop additional services, such as a Public Safety network and a private network for city workers. With these elements, the Town's first responders and other public safety officials, as well as town employees will be able to securely connect to their internal networks and the Internet. E[acute accent]"We will have a state-of-the-art system that benefits everyone - residents, businesses, guests and our public safety personnel," said Vail Mayor Rod Slifer. "This is the kind of innovation that continues to differentiate Vail from other ski resort destinations." E[acute accent]The Wi-Fi network coverage will include the town limits/boundary of the Town of Vail. The network will deliver an affordable world-class Internet service to Vail residents, businesses and visitors. The citywide wireless system will utilize SkyPilot's SkyGateways and SkyExtenders, delivering the latest in advanced carrier-grade mesh networking.

E[acute accent]About SkyPilot Networks

E[acute accent]SkyPilot Networks is the leading provider of carrier-class wireless mesh solutions that enable service providers, municipalities, and public safety agencies to rapidly deploy cost-effective broadband access, voice over IP, public and private Wi-Fi access, video surveillance, and other wireless applications. The SkyPilot solution utilizes a patent-pending synchronous mesh architecture with high-speed switched directional antenna arrays that extends reach, mitigates interference, and maximizes spectral reuse. The result is a highly scalable, reliable, and deterministic mesh network that simplifies design, increases deployment flexibility, and dramatically reduces equipment and operating costs. SkyPilot has proven scalability and reliability with over 200 customers in more than 40 countries. SkyPilot is a privately held company based in Santa Clara, California. For more information on SkyPilot and its solutions, contact pr@skypilot.com or visit http://www.skypilot.com.

E[acute accent]About CenturyTel

E[acute accent]CenturyTel (NYSE:CTL) is a leading provider of communications, high-speed Internet and entertainment services in small-to-mid-size cities through our broadband and fiber transport networks. Included in the S&P 500 Index, CenturyTel delivers advanced communications with a personal touch to customers in 25 states. Visit CenturyTel at www.centurytel.com.