TROPOS NETWORKS SHOWCASES PONCA CITY, OKLAHOMA MOBILE COMMUNITY THAT’S SAFER GREENER AND MORE PRODUCTIVE AT CONGRESS OF CITIES EXPOSITION 2008

Stop by Tropos Booth #607 to Learn More About Municipal Applications in Ponca City that Benefit the Community

ORLANDO, FLA. –November 12, 2008 --Tropos® Networks, the market leader in wireless IP broadband mesh networks, today announced that the company will be showcasing the Ponca City, Oklahoma wireless IP broadband mesh network at the 2008 Congress of Cities Exposition.  Mobile applications to improve public safety and increase municipal work force efficiencies, as well as high speed Internet services for businesses and residents will be highlighted at the Tropos booth (number 607) at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, November 11-15, 2008.

The Ponca City network covers approximately 30 square miles of the city today, with another 400 square miles anticipated. With this portion of the network now operational, the City is beginning deployment of applications that will ultimately enable every city department, including police, fire and emergency, parks and recreation, and public works. Once the application rollout is complete, mobile city workers will gain access to the same programs, files and information in the field as they have from their offices, which will help improve their efficiencies, expedite reporting, reducing paperwork, and improving communications. The entire process from procurement to deployment of the 30 square mile footprint network took less than six months to complete. The City working with their prime contractor Honeywell, are already working on a second phase of the project, which will expand the network and wireless coverage to more than 430 square miles, including hard-to-reach areas such as Lake Ponca and Kaw Lake.

 “After five years of exploring various wireless technologies it was clear that Tropos was the best solution to address our mobile public safety, city field worker needs,” said Craige Baird, Technology Services Director for Ponca City. “Because seventy-five percent of the city staff performs duties outside of their office, this network provides a common, cost effective IP foundation that will help improve the level of public safety, increase the efficiencies of many city departments, and enhance the quality of services provided to the community.”

A variety of mobile applications support the city’s public safety officials today.  Police officers can instantly connect to online databases when making a routine traffic stop to check for outstanding warrants or whether the vehicle is stolen.  To increase officer safety, police vehicles are equipped with wireless video cameras mounted on the dashboard so precinct dispatchers and supervisors can monitor activities live during traffic stops and quickly deploy additional officers and resources if necessary.  Police today are also able to access live video cameras from their vehicles.  Eventually, the city will have more than 90 video cameras connected to the network.  In the future, emergency responders will be equipped to send vital information from the ambulance to the emergency room so doctors can begin advising on trauma care and better prepare for patients to arrive.

Utilizing the network helps to reduce the carbon footprint of the city in support of their  “Green” initiatives. Today, electric utility workers in the field can access SCADA applications from their vehicles, saving them the time to drive to a substation to take a reading or make changes to the electric grid.  In the future, building inspectors will be able to quickly access records and input data into their laptops while working in the field to generate permits without traveling back to the office –– reducing fuel costs and increasing site inspections per day.

The citywide network is the foundation upon which Ponca City is building applications that increase public safety and operational efficiencies while reducing fuel consumption and vehicle emissions.

About Tropos Networks, Inc.
Tropos® Networks is the worldwide market leader in wireless IP broadband mesh networks that enable customers to own and control a smart, affordable, IP foundation for deploying high-value applications that improve the efficiencies of mobile workers, reduce operational costs and contribute towards the building of greener communities.  Common applications over Tropos networks include mobile public safety (police, fire and EMS), utility automation, intelligent transportation systems and video surveillance. The patented Tropos MetroMesh™ system delivers the ultimate reliability, scalability, and security and is installed in over 30 countries.  Founded in 2001, Tropos Networks is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, please visit www.tropos.com, call 408-331-6800 or write to info@tropos.com.   Tropos is a registered trademark and MetroMesh is a trademark of Tropos Networks, Inc.