TORONTO HYDRO TELECOM selects Siemens for deployment of Canada´s largest Wi-Fi zone

Munich, May 8, 2006, Siemens Communications has been selected vendor of record for equipment supply, implementation and services in support of Toronto Hydro Telecom’s plans to make Toronto the largest ubiquitous Wi-Fi zone in Canada. The contract marks Siemens’ entry into the Canadian wireless technology market.

"We conducted an RFP process, and the winner both in terms of depth of experience and quality of technology was Siemens" said David Dobbin, President, Toronto Hydro Telecom. "Siemens has global expertise in wireless technology, and their proposal was based on leading-edge third-generation wireless technology that more than meets our criteria for reliability, speed and scalability. That’s exactly what a world-class city such as Toronto needs in order to steer a course to greater competitiveness and productivity"

The agreement with Toronto Hydro Telecom includes the use of a mesh Wi-Fi network that will provide coverage for an area of up to ten square kilometres and it is anticipated that it will be fully deployed in downtown Toronto by year-end 2006. End-users will be able to access the Internet from wireless-enabled laptop computers, mobile headsets and other mobile devices, or simply place VoIP phone calls. High transfer rates (up to 54 megabits per second) will mean shorter download times and faster surfing than what is currently available today.

"We are extremely pleased that we have now succeeded in entering the Canadian wireless communication market with our technology. The kind of network we’ll be building for Toronto Hydro Telecom is right in line with the trend today, especially in urban areas. It will offer our customer ideal prerequisites for entering the attractive market of mobile services business with relatively low capital investments" noted Christoph Caselitz, the President of the Mobile Networks Division at Siemens Communications.

As part of its deployment strategy, Toronto Hydro Telecom will use Siemens’ "Wireless Integration@vantage" wireless integration platform which provides features such as access control, authentication and accounting. The software for this platform was developed by Garderos Software Innovations, a wholly-owned Siemens subsidiary. The network nodes are from the "Siemens Mesh@vantage MR" product family, based on industry-leading wireless mesh technology from BelAir Networks.

"BelAir Networks is proud that our industry-leading wireless mesh technology has been chosen by Siemens and Toronto Hydro Telecom for North America’s largest municipal wireless network" said Bernard Herscovich, President and CEO, BelAir Networks.

About Toronto Hydro Telecom
Toronto Hydro Telecom Inc. is the telecom subsidiary of Toronto Hydro Corporation, which is fully-owned by the City of Toronto. A highly specialized and innovative provider of telecom services to businesses in Toronto, Toronto Hydro Telecom owns and operates a fibre optic network that spans 450 kilometres and connects more than 400 commercial office buildings in Toronto with interconnections to utility-affiliated telecom networks bordering the Greater Toronto Area.

BelAir Newtworks
BelAir Networks is the first company to offer scalable, wide-area wireless broadband solutions with the highest quality for data, voice and video. BelAir’s wireless networking solutions are built on the only multi-service architecture for wide-area wireless broadband deployments of Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and 3G Cellular networks. Built specifically for outdoor deployments, BelAir Networks’ patented solution delivers the lowest cost per user and deploys in days, blending into the physical infrastructure of downtown business districts, hotels and resorts, and campuses. Founded in 2001, BelAir Networks is a privately held company. For more info, visit www.belairnetworks.com.

Siemens Communications
The Siemens Communications Group is one of the largest players in the global telecommunications industry. The company offers a full-line portfolio of innovative solutions for voice and data communication. Its comprehensive offerings range from devices right through to complex network infrastructures and services for wireless, fixed and enterprise networks. It is the largest Group within the Siemens organization and operates in more than 160 countries around the world. In fiscal 2005 (September 30), its 54,500-strong workforce posted sales of over 13 billion euros.

More about Siemens Communications at http://www.siemens.com/communications

Information number: COM MN 2006 05.03 e

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Uta Apel

Press Office Communications

Siemens AG

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