OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA BOOSTS MUNICIPAL EFFICIENCIES WITH WIRELESS BROADBAND NETWORK FROM TROPOS

Police, Fire and Water Departments See Dramatic Efficiency Improvements and Cost Reductions

OCEANSIDE, CA – January 21, 2009 – The City of Oceanside, CA and Tropos® Networks, the market leader in wireless IP broadband mesh networks, today announced that Oceanside’s wireless broadband network is significantly improving the operational efficiencies of its public safety and utility organizations while reducing costs and improving overall services for the community.

The City’s goal in deploying the network was to find a cost effective means of providing public safety and public works organizations with greater flexibility and real-time access to information from the field.  By building and operating their own wireless broadband network, the City has been able to achieve this goal and now has an IP infrastructure that can be also used for other city services.

Public Safety First To Benefit
The network was first used by the police and fire departments to improve community safety by providing mobile public safety workers with improved access to critical information in the field.  Police officers connect to the network from laptops in their patrol cars, giving them real time access to key databases and enabling them to download photos, file reports and access the same applications as at the precinct. The fire department has access to electronic real-time maps, to help them quickly locate emergencies and fires.  In addition, they can review site maps, building floor plans and hazardous materials information while en route to a fire or accident and locate water hydrants helping them develop their response plan before they arrive on scene.

City’s Water Department Achieves Efficiency Gains
Oceanside’s water department field crews are experiencing dramatic improvements in time savings and reduction in cost.  Field crews can remain in the field more of the time and critical communications such as dig alerts and geographical information system (GIS) data is sent directly to their laptops.  The ability for crews to remain in the field while having access to the information they need has improved their efficiency in completing jobs while reducing time and cost.  In addition, carbon emissions are reduced since workers spend less time on the road.

Previously, water department crews working in the field returned to the water district main office multiple times each day.  In the morning, they would obtain a schedule and deploy crews to problem sites.  When a critical problem occurred at another location, they would have to return to the office, get the specifics about the new problem, and go back out to the field.  Often crews needed to return to the office to access current GIS data as the old paper map books they carried in their vehicles were out of date and could misguide them on where to dig to access pipes.  

Remote Reservoir Monitoring Saves Time
The wireless network is also being used to remotely monitor the City’s water reservoirs in real-time.  Rather than sending a water department worker to the reservoir to take water level measurements, the City is using a remotely monitored Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to effectively monitor the reservoirs’ water levels.  This enables the water department to have access to critical information at any time and to make accurate and quick decisions on the number of gallons entering and leaving the reservoir, as well as to manage city water consumption – all from a central location.

Fulfilling the Vision of a Municipal Communications Foundation
The wireless broadband network covers the main traffic corridors of the City’s 50 square miles.  Tropos’ 5210 and 5320 routers have been installed on police station, fire station, and special investigations unit buildings.  In addition, to extend the coverage area, police, fire and water utility vehicles have been outfitted with mobile Tropos’ 4210 mobile routers.

“Oceanside’s use of Tropos is yet another strong example of how cities can benefit from owning, deploying and operating their own wireless network that is cost effectively leveraged by multiple municipal departments to improve efficiencies and services for the community, said Denise Barton, Marketing Director for Tropos Networks. “Like Oceanside, many of our customers are seeking to build a cost effective IP foundation for creating a greener, safer, smarter city.”

About Tropos Networks, Inc.
Tropos® Networks is the worldwide market leader in wireless IP broadband mesh networks.  Its solutions create greener, safer, smarter foundations for deployment of high-value applications that increase efficiencies and reduce operational costs within communities.  Greener – automated utility meter reading and intelligent transportation systems.  Safer – mobile public safety communications and IP video surveillance.  Smarter – enabling mobile workers to access information from the field.  The Tropos MetroMesh™ system delivers the highest levels of reliability, scalability, and security in the industry with more than 500 customers in over 30 countries.  Founded in 2000, Tropos Networks is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, please visit www.tropos.com, call 408-331-6800 or write to info@tropos.com.   Tropos is a registered trademark and MetroMesh is a trademark of Tropos Networks, Inc.