Boston Suburb Secures Metro-Scale Wireless Mesh Network with Bluesocket

BURLINGTON, Mass. - September 27, 2006 - Bluesocket, Inc., (www.bluesocket.com) the leader in open wireless network, security and management solutions, today announced that the City of Malden has deployed Bluesocket's BlueSecure technology to secure and manage its metro-scale mesh network.

Last year, the City of Malden, located five miles northwest of Boston, was one of the first cities in Massachusetts to set up a metro-scale Wi-Fi network for municipal use. City officials' main goals for the project were to improve city operations and increase public safety, while giving residents immediate access to the "MaldenWiFi" portal for city-specific information. But, as officials began to expand the network to remote office sites they realized the need to protect centralized data applications and scale back on connectivity fees.

"As a municipal wireless pioneer in the state, we need to keep ahead of the technology curve," said Anthony Rodrigues, director of information technology for the City of Malden. "But, we also need to make sure that our new technology endeavors are good investments and not a threat to our operation. Bluesocket was the clear choice for our wireless security need, because it was a proven, affordable solution that was easy to manage and eliminated thousands of dollars in connectivity costs."

Bluesocket's BlueSecure technology, which uses WLAN authentication to overcome bandwidth limitations and detect unauthorized users, became essential when the City of Malden won a $50,000 grant from Proxim Wireless last month to upgrade its mesh network hardware. With the new security and hardware technologies currently being deployed, the city is putting into motion a plan to extend the range of Malden's secure network, which includes putting Wi-Fi transmitters on city vehicles and in high-density areas, such as T stations, playgrounds and parks. The city's information technology department is also looking to expand the mesh network to local school systems to promote remote learning, as well as create an active link to the local access TV studio in order to expedite news reporting and editing.

The Malden police department will also use the expanded network to stream video footage from local areas directly to the police station, making it easier for police officers to monitor and respond to crimes at those locations.

"Protecting the community is our department's number one priority and technology plays a big role in that effort," said Kenneth Coye, Chief of Police at the Malden Police Department. "Malden's wireless system shows great promise for law enforcement. Cameras at high risk locations and connectivity to state and federal resources are mandatory in a post-9/11 world. We expect to develop community support for virtual crime watches at locations of concern, bringing law enforcement and our neighborhoods closer than ever."

"Municipal wireless networks are growing at a remarkable rate because of their ability to offer more efficient communications between city departments, in addition to providing residents more affordable access to the Internet," added Mads Lillelund, CEO at Bluesocket. "Wireless security plays a significant role in developing city-wide networks and, because of that, a number of municipalities have turned to Bluesocket. We provide reliable wireless security at an affordable price, so organizations with fixed budgets don't have to settle for inferior quality."

The City of Malden is one of several municipals that have deployed Bluesocket for wireless security. The City of Burbank, Calif., and City of Springfield, Mo., also recently deployed BlueSecure technology to manage network bandwidth, assign user roles and provide load-balancing between wireless APs. For more information on Bluesocket public access solutions, visit (www.bluesocket.com/solutions/publicaccess)

About Malden, Mass.

Located five miles northwest of Boston, Malden is a vibrant and diverse community of 58,000 in the midst of an urban renaissance. Covering 4.8 square miles, Malden's close proximity to Boston and convenient access to mass transit, make Malden a very desirable home for urban professionals, artists and students alike.

About Bluesocket

Founded in 1999, Bluesocket is a leader in open, standards based enterprise mobility solutions. Bluesocket is the first company to deliver an enterprise communication solution that unifies secure wireless LAN, SIP-based enterprise Voice over IP and fixed mobile convergence. Its complete wireless network and voice solution portfolio bring trust and simplicity to increasingly complex wireless networks maximizing customer ROI and increasing their competitive edge. For more information, please visit http://www.bluesocket.com.

Bluesocket, the Bluesocket logo and BlueSecure are trademarks or registered trademarks of Bluesocket, Inc. All other trademarks, trade names and company names referenced herein are used for identification only and are the property of their respective companies.

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