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Gold/Mining/Energy : Sierra Wireless SW (Toronto) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ron Schier who wrote (42)	11/2/1999 4:11:00 PM
From: Ron Schier	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 198

America's Cup Selects Sierra Wireless for Wireless Data Communications NOVEMBER 2, 1999 SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA--Racing data via cellular modem gives TV, Internet users a new event perspective Wireless IT '99-Sierra Wireless (TSE: SW) announced today that for the first time in the America's Cup's 149-year history, Internet and TV sports fans worldwide can see the entire racing fleet at a glance by using wireless data communications. Using Sierra Wireless' MP200 ruggedized wireless data modem which is used aboard each competing boat and marker buoy, racing data are translated into real-time animated graphics to give viewers a complete look at the entire competitive field, spread out over a large area of open sea. Sierra Wireless joins ECONZ (Electronic Company of New Zealand), Telecom New Zealand, Trimble Navigation and Ericsson to make up the America's Cup communications team. "Sierra Wireless is proud to be an official supplier of such a prestigious event. We are also very pleased to work with communications partners to offer such a unique experience to the sporting world," said David Sutcliffe, Sierra Wireless' President and CEO. "The technology truly maximizes real-time positioning updates and cellular communications to puts viewers right in the race." The MP200 modem relays GPS data from an onboard Trimble GPS antenna and receiver on each of the 11 yachts competing in the "round robin" qualifying races and five marker buoys on the two courses. The units transmit each boat's position, as well as data on wind speed, direction, latitude and longitude to Telecom's Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) network. During the initial qualifying races, called the Louis Vuitton Cup, data will be transmitted two times each second; during the finals, the America's Cup Match, information will be relayed five times each second. The data is routed to Animation Research, which produces graphics for TV and Internet usage. CDPD enables the delivery of multiple data streams with minimal latency and high security, making it easier to synchronize camera angles with animation pictures than traditional data radio links. For the semifinals, finals and match, the images will be televised live in New Zealand and for the rest of the world the America's Cup Match will be live. The MP200 has proven its ruggedness in public safety vehicles throughout the United States and Canada, and now the technology will take to the seas, where conditions are even more brutal. Throughout the races, yachts are subjected to intense vibration and humidity, and the distances involved are also problematic. The race distance extends some 18.5 nautical miles (21 land miles). "Reliability and power were critical," said Terry Stearns, Business Development Manager, ECONZ. "The technology had to be the best available so we could have full confidence given the coverage area and conditions. There was only one 3W, CDPD mobile wireless modem in the market in which we had total confidence -- Sierra Wireless." About America's Cup Communications Team Sierra Wireless' inclusion on the America's Cup "telecommunications team" puts it in select company. ECONZ is New Zealand's leading systems integrator and wireless communications specialist. New Zealand Telecom is the country's largest and most advanced telecommunications provider, with 99 percent of access lines routed to digital exchanges, 85 percent of intercity trunk cables laid in fiber optics and 95 percent of the population in its cellular coverage area. Ericsson, with 100,000 employees in 140 countries, is the world's-leading supplier in telecommunications and data communications. About Sierra Wireless Sierra Wireless is a leading wireless data communication systems company. The leader in cellular packet data subscriber products, Sierra Wireless delivers a broad range of products including PC Cards for portable computers, rugged vehicle-mounted modems, the AirPac(R) end-to-end transaction-based solutions, OEM modules for embedded applications, telemetry modems, and software tools and utilities. For more information about Sierra Wireless, visit www.sierrawireless.com