Proxim Wireless Corporation, a global provider of broadband wireless equipment and wholly-owned subsidiary of Terabeam, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRBM), and Wi- SKY Networks, LLC, a privately held company holding patents pending for WiMAX broadband communication with aircraft in flight and vessels at sea, today announced that Proxim’s WiMAX Forum Certified™ Tsunami™ MP.16 products have achieved continuous broadband wireless connections between a land-based base station and moving sea and air vessels, enabling simultaneous video conferences, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls, and data downloads at distances over 30 miles and altitudes over 10,000 feet.

“The Tsunami base station and subscriber units exceeded our expectations, and we are most pleased with the results,” said Donald Alcorn, President and CEO of Wi- SKY Networks. “Our mission is to enable the delivery of affordable broadband connections to passengers in flight and at sea, and we are now one step closer to allowing the technology of the office to become a reality in motion.”

Test at Sea
Wi- SKY and Proxim engineers aboard the 64 foot ship Esperanza, cruising at 9 to 10 knots along the US and Canadian border, were able to receive continuous broadband data connectivity to a range of 25 miles. The team conducted video conference calls and Instant Messaging sessions and placed numerous VoIP telephone calls through the Internet concurrently. This test, like the test in flight described below, was conducted under an STA for the frequency band granted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Test in Flight
Wi- SKY and Proxim engineers boarded a helicopter out of Victoria, British Columbia to perform the airborne portion of the testing. Engineers aboard the helicopter maintained continuous broadband data connectivity 30 miles from the base station antenna, at an altitude of over 10,800 ft (2 miles high), and at speeds of 126 knots (145 MPH). During the test, the helicopter flew various crossing patterns over southern British Columbia to map the footprint of the signal being emitted from the Proxim WiMAX base station. According to Alcorn, “We were especially excited about the airborne tests, as providing air traffic controllers and the Department of Homeland Security with the capabilities to monitor real-time conditions in and surrounding sea- and airborne vessels is another major objective driving our organization.”

“As a pioneer in broadband wireless technologies including Wi-Fi, WiMAX, millimeter wave, and free-space optics, Proxim Wireless is uniquely positioned to enable mission-critical communications now and in the future,” said Amit Malhotra, Vice President of Marketing, Proxim Wireless. “We believe that we are the first vendor in the world to achieve continuous broadband connections using WiMAX Forum Certified equipment at a range of 30 miles and altitude of over 10,000 feet while moving.”