SpatialNews Press Release
CSI Wireless Unveils Asset-Link 100 Telematics Product -- Low-cost Vehicle-Tracking, Plus Safety and
Security Capabilities
csi-wireless.com
LAS VEGAS, Jan 9, 2002 -- (TSE:CSY): CSI Wireless Inc., a provider of advanced wireless and GPS technologies for the
automotive, commercial and consumer markets, today unveiled the Asset-Link(TM) 100 - the first of what will soon be a family of innovative and cost-effective
fleet- tracking, safety and security products from CSI.
The Asset-Link 100 features rugged and very compact Telematics technology that CSI Wireless developed for use with the Microburst(R) cellular network
throughout North America and parts of Central and South America. By integrating the Asset-Link 100 with Microburst, CSI has created a Telematics product
for national and continental fleet and trailer tracking, and for various safety and security applications, which has significantly lower life- cycle costs.
The Microburst network - owned and managed by Aeris.net - employs other wireless or cellular networks' Control Channel infrastructure as its transmission
medium. Microburst enables users to send and receive data messages throughout Canada, the U.S., Mexico and parts of Central and South America for less
cost and with wider coverage than what is possible using other public networks.
Customers equipped with the Asset-Link 100 can:
- track vehicles' locations
- monitor vehicles' performance including oil and air pressure, plus
engine running hours
- log and analyze vehicles' performance data, including temperature
trends
- perform important security functions including door-lock and ignition
controls, plus "geo-fencing" (containing vehicles inside specified
geographic boundaries)
- employ potentially life-saving automatic safety features including
crash-notification, airbag deployment notification and emergency
dispatch
"Most Telematics products use more expensive wireless networks," said Stephen Verhoeff, President and CEO of CSI Wireless. "The result is higher monthly
fees and sparse coverage that tends to discourage market growth and penetration. But because we built the Asset-Link 100 for use with the Microburst
network, its services are much more widely available and much more affordable. The Asset-Link 100's low price, and its low operating costs, will open up new
markets for CSI Wireless and for its customers."
Asset-Link 100 combines CSI's highly integrated Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies with the company's advanced wireless technologies. "It is
the first of what will soon be a CSI Wireless family of Asset-Link Telematics products," Mr. Verhoeff said.
Telematics products enable two-way wireless communications, of which location data is a key component, between vehicles and information service
providers.
Industry analysts Frost & Sullivan say North American revenues for telematics products and services could reach US$7 billion in 2007, compared to US$380
million in 2000.
CSI Wireless announced its Asset-Link 100 in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show, an annual event featuring about 1,000 exhibitors and 100,000
participants.
About Microburst
Microburst offers one of the world's largest digital cellular phone coverage areas available from a single network - covering Canada, the U.S., Mexico and parts
of Central and South America - by combining the resources of many cellular networks. It employs other networks' Control Channel, which all analog or
Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) wireless phones use for basic housekeeping tasks. Because the tasks must be done only occasionally, the Control
Channel remains unused most of the time. Microburst employs this surplus capacity to transmit small packets of data - such as location coordinates or
sensor-collected information - or to initiate vehicle features (door locks, or emergency alerts if air bags are deployed) at a fraction of the cost and time of
regular "circuit switched" wireless phone calls.
About CSI Wireless
With offices in Calgary, Silicon Valley, and Phoenix, CSI Wireless provides innovative, cost-effective, wireless and GPS vehicle and asset management
products for mobile and fixed applications in the automotive, commercial and consumer markets. Through the integration of GPS and wireless, CSI is actively
pursuing several emerging high-growth markets including Fleet Management, Asset Tracking, Telematics and Mobile Computing applications. The Company
owns several patents and intellectual property relating to wireless networks and GPS technologies. CSI Wireless has licensed its cellular technology to GPS,
cellular handset, and chipset manufacturers. The company's common shares trade on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "CSY", with
approximately 18.4 million outstanding.
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