PROX Proxim (MM)

Benedict College Deploys Proxim Wi-Fi and Broadband Wireless Solutions to Extend Campus LAN and Speed Services Combination of Proxim ORiNOCO Access Points and Tsunami MP.11a Broadband Wireless System Gives Students 24/7 Access, Saves Time and Money for College IT Staff SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Proxim Corporation (NASDAQ:PROX), a global leader in wireless networking equipment for Wi-Fi and broadband wireless networks, today announced that Benedict College, a Columbia, South Carolina-based college focused on the education of African- Americans, has deployed a wireless network based on Proxim's Wi-Fi and broadband wireless equipment. Using a combination of Proxim ORiNOCO AP-4000 and AP-600 access points and a Tsunami MP.11a radio, the college can now give its 3,000 students and 500+ faculty and staff high speed access to the Internet and to the school's various resources and services. In addition, the new wireless network provides easy and cost-effective year-round network access to support the school's ongoing activities including registration, long-distance learning and graduation. Prior to deploying the wireless network, Benedict College's small IT staff struggled with set-up for the school's numerous events, such as long-distance presentations and registration. These events typically require Internet, satellite or basic network access for large numbers of faculty, students and constituents. To deliver this access, Benedict's IT staff had to bring in special equipment and pull wires, a process that was expensive and time- consuming. The set-up for Benedict's registration, for example, typically took at least a full week. By deploying Proxim's ORiNOCO AP-4000 and AP-600 Wi-Fi access points, the college achieved year-round, wireless access for its students and faculty. Registration set-up time was cut in half, and students' waiting time during the registration process was greatly reduced. The college also deployed Proxim's ORiNOCO AP-4000 and AP-600 Wi-Fi access points throughout its campus to give students high-speed access to the Internet and to library materials, resources and services. With access points located in the college library and gym, students and faculty -- regardless of their location on campus -- can easily and conveniently access the Internet, send and receive e-mail, and retrieve articles, notes and books. In addition, Benedict used Proxim's Tsunami MP.11a broadband wireless system to provide connectivity between a campus dorm and off-site administration buildings. Benedict had an existing fiber network in place, but using fiber or leased lines to extend connectivity to additional off-site buildings would have been cost-prohibitive. Proxim's Tsunami MP.11a allows Benedict to extend this high-speed connectivity cost-effectively to remote sites as the college grows and adds more locations. "Working with our local broadband wireless service provider, Conterra, LLC, we evaluated various solutions that might help us achieve our goals and reduce the burden on our relatively small IT staff," said Katrina Damon, network administrator for Benedict College. "The fact that Proxim could provide a combined indoor-outdoor solution that was robust and scalable and more importantly for our staff, easy to configure, re-configure and maintain, made our decision quite easy." Added Damon, "The time and expense previously required to manage our college's important events such as registration and graduation, have been dramatically reduced, and our students and faculty are now benefiting from reliable, convenient wireless access." "Proxim has had great success in the educational market in large part, because our unique combination of Wi-Fi and broadband wireless solutions saves money and increases the efficiency of school IT staff," said Lynn Lucas, vice president of product marketing for Proxim. "With a cost-effective, scalable wireless network in place, higher education providers of every size -- from major universities to specialized colleges like Benedict -- can give students the 24/7 access to information and resources they need to achieve their goals, and can provide school faculty with the tools they need to do their jobs." Due to the success of their initial implementation, Benedict College is evaluating several ways to expand the wireless network including deployment of additional Wi-Fi hot spots around the campus, particularly in the library basement to facilitate Spring registration and in a park near the library where many events are held. In addition, the college is considering deployment of an additional Tsunami point-to-point system to link the college's new stadium, currently under construction, to the rest of the campus. About Conterra Conterra, LLC, specializes in the design, deployment and operation of carrier-grade digital point-to-point and point-to-multipoint wireless broadband systems. Its customers include education and government institutions and small to medium size businesses. Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, with offices in Columbia, SC, Conterra was established by the founders and management of Vanguard Cellular Systems, Inc., one of the first independent cellular companies in the United States. About Proxim Proxim Corporation is a global leader in wireless networking equipment for Wi-Fi and broadband wireless networks. The company is providing its enterprise and service provider customers with wireless solutions for the mobile enterprise, security and surveillance, last mile access, voice and data backhaul, public hot spots, and metropolitan area networks. This press release and more information about Proxim can be found on the Web at http://www.proxim.com/. Safe Harbor This press release may contain forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from Proxim's expectations in these statements. For additional information regarding risks relating to Proxim's business, see Proxim Corporation's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 and Forms 10-Q for quarters ended July 2, 2004 and October 1, 2004, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other relevant materials filed by Proxim with the SEC. Proxim assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements. DATASOURCE: Proxim Corporation CONTACT: Sylvia Clark Hooks of Proxim Corporation, +1-408-542-3357 or ; or Lori S. Hultin of LSH Communications, +1-818-879-4651 or , for Proxim Web site: http://www.proxim.com/

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