WARWICK, R.I., Jan. 21, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- ICOA, Inc.,(OTCBB:ICOA), today announced that its subsidiary, Airport Network Solutions, has begun offering Public Broadband Internet Access at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Savannah, Ga.
Passengers at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport no longer need to be 'off-line' when they arrive for vacation or wait to leave on a business trip. Those with WiFi enabled laptops or PDAs can connect to the Internet to check their e-mail, receive messages and surf the Web from anywhere in the airport for only $6.95 a day. Instead of being tethered to a phone line or wall jack, they can stay 'on-line' as they move throughout the terminal.
"We are excited to offer this new passenger service to both the traveling public and our airport tenants. We believe that this service further serves to distinguish Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport as a leader in the customer service area," said Patrick Graham Executive Director of the Savannah Airport Commission. "About a year ago, we began looking at the different business models for providing WiFi throughout the airport and we felt that Airport Network Solutions offered the best solution to address not only the needs of the traveling public, but also the needs of our other important constituents such as airlines, concessionaires, and the TSA among others."
Under an exclusive agreement with Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, Airport Network Solutions (ANS) manages and operates WiFi -- Wireless Fidelity -- services at the airport. The new WiFi Infrastructure was designed and deployed by ANS and has been operating commercially since before the holiday season. "We have already had many excited users that have discovered the network on their own and have used our service," said Wil Ankerstjerne, VP of Field Operations for ANS. "Now that the residents of the Savannah Area are aware that this network is available, we anticipate that usage will continue to grow."
"This is the third airport to activate our wireless airport solution in the last six months." commented Rick Schiffmann, head of ICOA's ANS subsidiary. "While isolated wireless Hot Spots are increasingly common, our solution covers the entire airport. This airport-wide approach makes it simpler for passengers to connect instantly in all public areas of the airport rather than having to 'sniff out' available Hot Spots. ANS not only makes life simpler for passengers we also make WiFi deployment feasible for the airport authority."
ICOA has previously announced WiFi service operations for the Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana Airport (BTR) and Sacramento International Airport (SMF). With these three airports deployed, ICOA will offer Wi-Fi service to almost 12 million airport passengers per year.
About ICOA and ANS
ICOA, Inc., www.icoacorp.com located in Warwick, RI, is a provider of Public Broadband Internet Access. Its subsidiary, ANS, partners with airports to design, install, operate, maintain, and manage a single, neutral, common-use 802.11x standard WLAN (or WiFi) infrastructure throughout their facility. Airlines, the traveling public and all other constituencies within the airport community are then able to use this secure and efficient wireless infrastructure.
ICOA operates private networks of high-speed Internet Terminals (WebCenter3000TM), as well as WiFi Hot Spots, in 204 locations nationwide including the most sought after public locations - airports, hotels, marinas, transportation hubs and conference centers. The Company provides fully managed Broadband Internet Access and Services including: e-mail, e-fax and telephony; business services including printing; e-commerce; and 'venue specific' advertising. ICOA currently operates or manages installations at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana Airport (BTR), Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Rhode Island's Newport Harbor 'Hot Zone', several prestigious Hotels and 130+ Panera Bread (Nasdaq:PNRA) (www.panerabread.com) locations.
'Safe Harbor' The foregoing contains "forward-looking statements" which are based on management's beliefs as well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events and information currently available to management. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside ICOA's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. For a more detailed description of the factors that could cause such a difference, please see ICOA's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ICOA disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This information is presented solely to provide additional information to further understand the results of ICOA.