Wireless: Proxim Delivering Industry's Lowest Priced Commercial Frequency Hopping Wireless LAN PC Card - RangeLAN2 CE - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, April 5, 1999

Ushering in a new era of affordability for wirelessly connected, small form factor handhelds, Proxim, Inc., Monday announced the availability of the RangeLAN2 CE PC Card for Windows CE-based Handheld PCs (H/PCs) and devices for $295. Now the leading wireless local area networking (LAN) PC card with the industry's lowest power consumption for the longest battery life is also the most affordable for Windows CE-based devices.

Proxim is the world's leading supplier of spread spectrum wireless LAN products to both OEMs and wireless solutions providers with its RangeLAN2 product family and RangeLAN802 IEEE 802.11-compatible product line. Frequency hopping is the dominant technology within the spread spectrum wireless LAN technologies according to independent analyst reports from IDC Research (1998) and Frost & Sullivan (1999), with published market shares of the worldwide wireless LAN market of nearly 65 percent and nearly 60 percent, respectively.

RangeLAN2 leads the industry with the smallest form factor and lowest power consumption for improved battery life, and its driver software is the only wireless LAN technology shipping in Microsoft Windows CE Handheld PC Professional Edition. Following an extensive six-week, 100-user system test on three different clients, Microsoft incorporated RangeLAN2 into its Handheld PC Professional Edition operating system last year. Combining Windows CE with the leading wireless LAN technology for H/PCs and electronics devices sets a new standard in mobile computing.

"Proxim's launch of this wireless networking PC card and its new strategy support the viability of mobile networking for Windows CE-based handheld devices," said Roger Gulrajani, group product manager, information appliances division, Microsoft Corp. "Proxim's RangeLAN2 technology offers great value to mobile professionals who need wireless access to critical corporate e-mail and network data."

"Mobile connectivity to information is a must for today's busy working professional," said Cheryl Currid, president of Currid & Company. "The new Proxim price point makes good sense as it gives mobile professionals an affordable wireless networking option."

Now users of Windows CE-based devices can have instant access to e-mail and networked information while being truly mobile and free from a wired network connection, all for less than $300 per client device. In addition, RangeLAN2 CE PC Card-equipped devices work with Proxim's award-winning Symphony Cordless Networking Suite for use in homes and small offices.

Low power consumption is a critical wireless LAN criterion to enable sufficient battery life for the tiny devices running Windows CE. RangeLAN2 adapters draw an average of only 5 mA of current while sustaining the network connection, the lowest in the industry by more than a factor of six. Currently, H/PCs from Casio, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, NEC, Sharp and Vadem running the Windows CE operating system are utilizing RangeLAN2 to enable mobility and continuous wireless connectivity. In addition to H/PCs, more than 10 major vertical solutions providers currently integrate RangeLAN2 into their Windows CE-based devices.

"Wireless mobility and online access to information are proving to be increasingly important today, and as the market leader we are pleased to set the industry benchmark again and deliver today's leading technology at today's best price," said Brian Button, Proxim Sales and Marketing vice president. "Wireless LANs may have traditionally been considered expensive, but at less than $300 a device, we can not only expand our traditional business, but also penetrate into new markets. In some cases, the price of the wireless solution of device and PC card will be less than $1,000."

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY The RangeLAN2 7410 CE PC Card is available today for $295 from the more than 450 Proxim authorized VARs, systems integrators, and distributors.

Proxim's RangeLAN2 products operate in the 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) frequency band and utilize frequency hopping spread spectrum radio frequency (RF) technology, which is both highly secure and exceptionally immune to interference. The products are designed to provide the industry's best combination of features for mobile wireless local area networking applications, including high speed, long range, low power consumption, network scalability and advanced network management. RangeLAN2 is certified and complies with the OpenAir wireless LAN standard set by the Wireless LAN Interoperability Forum (WLI Forum), a nonprofit organization of more than 25 leading wireless vendors which supports interoperability among members' products.

Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., Proxim, Inc., is the world's leading supplier of spread spectrum wireless LAN products to OEMs and wireless solutions providers. Proxim was first to market with 2.4 GHz frequency hopping wireless LAN technology with its RangeLAN2 product family in 1994. Since that time, more than 50 wireless solution providers worldwide have selected RangeLAN2, including AMP, Casio, Cruise Technologies, Data General, Fujitsu, HBO & Company, IBM, Intermec, LXE, Matsushita, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Sharp and Toshiba. The company's 2 Mbps RangeLAN802 product family is fully compliant with the recently ratified IEEE 802.11 standard. Proxim's Symphony product family enables cordless networking, resource sharing and mobility in and around homes and small offices. Proxim is a founding member of the WLI Forum, (www.wlif.com), and is also a core member of the Home Radio Frequency Working Group (Home RF), organized to provide a broad range of interoperable cordless consumer devices (www.homerf.org). Proxim's web site is www.proxim.com.