RECENT NEWS FLASH 2000-16 (May 2000)
(Updated on May 23,  2000)

PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND APPLICATIONS

American Airlines and MobileStar Network to Deliver Wireless Internet Connectivity to Business Travelers

American Airlines is now providing MobileStar network access to American passengers at 32 Admiral's Clubs in the U.S. and 17 locations in Europe and Asia will join the network by year-end.

American passengers with MobileStar Network subscriptions can now use their laptops in these locations to connect to the Internet at speeds estimated up to 50 times faster than using a traditional dial-up modem and 100 times faster than other wireless technologies. Business passengers can use the service to gain access to their corporate intranet, LAN or the Internet.

The MobileStar Network wireless infrastructure uses radio frequency to transmit data from laptop computers with a wireless Ethernet PC Card transceiver to an access point installed out of the sight of passengers. Access points are spaced approximately 200 feet apart and provide a mobile computing user with a high-speed wireless connection to the Internet (1.6 Mbps to 11 Mbps depending on the wireless standard selected).  MobileStar Network provides a dedicated T1 (1.54 Mbps) to all of its sites to connect to the Internet using both direct sequence and frequency hopping wireless LAN industry standards.

The MobileStar network will be installed in more than 700 hotels, airports and convention centers in 130 U.S. cities this year. Currently, 114 locations are in operation. 

Check-out related news summary: http://www.mobileinfo.com/News_Folder/News_2000_Issue14/Boeing_Internet_In_Sky.htm

For more information, go to http://www.mobilestar.com/aa.htm

Mobileinfo Comments and Advisory: Mobilestar was among the first vendors to expand Internet access to professionals on the move while they were in their hotel. Their approach is the most sensible considering two issues - limitations of wireless wide area network speed but more importantly you need high speed access more when you have some time to browse the net than when you are in a hurry. In the car, you are running around and just need urgent e-mail messages and transaction-based queries into corporate databases. There will always be users who could use high speed access in the car but they are in minority. They must wait for 3G networks to proliferate - three years.  We think that the service will fly.

Note: This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Readers should take appropriate caution in developing plans utilizing these products, services and technology architectures.

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