NetWireless and Fatport Announce Strategic Partnership
February 19, 2003 - Vancouver (BC), Calgary (AB) - NetWireless Hotspots Canada Inc. ("NetWireless") and Fatport Corporation ("Fatport") today announced a strategic partnership that will further strengthen the Canadian hotspot market.
The strategic partnership leverages the power both organizations have in this rapidly developing industry. Fatport is Canada.s largest provider of public Wi-Fi services with hotspot locations in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Fatport has developed leading edge proprietary software and hardware solutions that allow for an unparalleled customer experience. NetWireless leverages its position within Canada.s largest technology integrator and reseller of networks through Hartco Corporation ("Hartco") (TSX:HCC) to offer unparalleled national integration and support capabilities to its customers. Leveraging a network of over 100 retail and service locations, NetWireless has the ability to deploy quickly and effectively with experienced technicians.
Roaming between NetWireless and Fatport locations will be seamless and provide the combined customer base the largest footprint in Canada for high-speed wireless connectivity. The network is also aligned with International leaders in the hotspot market and provides their customers with seamless roaming to over 1,000 hotspots across the globe.
.We are pleased to align ourselves with the leading player in the Canadian wireless hotspot market. says Jeffrey Hart, President, NetWireless and Executive VP at Hartco. .We believe that the combination of services our companies can provide will be hard to beat..
.This marks an important development in Canada.s emerging public Wi-Fi industry,. comments Michael Kuhlmann, FatPort.s VP of Business Development. .By utilizing our .Powered by FatPort. solution, NetWireless is dramatically increasing the marketability of high-speed wireless Internet access to Canadians by providing what is needed most: more locations. With their strong relationships in the hospitality and food service industries, the end-users will shortly be able to find a place to connect wherever they need it. We are excited about extending our model into this new space with Hartco as a partner..
In addition to public wireless access, both companies will provide a key differentiator by being able to assist corporations with their wireless strategy, wireless office implementation, and wireless security issues. This will allow business travelers to effectively communicate to their corporate environments from any public wireless access zone in Canada with the comfort and security of knowing their information is protected.
Wi-Fi is the commonly used name for the wireless networking standard, also known as 802.11b, which transmits wireless data at rates of up to 6 Megabits per second in public locations (also known as hotspots) and private locations. Wi-Fi network speeds are up to 100 times faster than existing cellular wireless networks. Wi-Fi is currently one of the fastest growing areas of the IT industry.
About FatPort
FatPort is Canada's largest wireless Internet service provider, offering the widest coverage of access sites. Based in Vancouver, FatPort uses custom-built FatPoint wireless access points that enable location owners to quickly establish a commercial FatZone. In each FatZone, FatPort allows anyone with a wireless-enabled laptop or PDA to access the Internet at speeds many times faster than cellular networks. FatPort is
a wholly owned subsidiary of Ignition Point Technologies Corp (TSX-VEN:IPN). For more information visit www.fatport.com.
About NetWireless
NetWireless is a leading Canadian wireless data solution provider. NetWireless offers turnkey Hotspot solutions for public areas and integrated wireless data solutions to Canadian organizations. NetWireless is wholly owned by Hartco (TSX: HCC) and enjoys one of the largest support networks of any company in Canada dedicated to technology solutions.
About Hartco
Hartco Corporation is Canada's largest franchisor of computer integrators and retailers with over 150 locations across the country. They operate under the names of MicroAge, Metafore, Microserv, Compucentre, and CompuSmart. Hartco also operates The Telephone Booth, the country's largest mall-based communications specialty store chain selling solutions from all four national cellular carriers. Hartco has been in the computer business for more than 25 years and in the communication business for more than 9 years and has established a dominant position as a leading provider of computing and communication solutions to the Canadian market.
For more information contact:
Malcolm McDonald
Media Relations, FatPort
malcolm@fatport.com
604-608-6781
Jeffery Hart
President, NetWireless; Executive VP, Hartco
514-354-0580 ext. 381
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