IBM Linux case study: wireless trucking

Today, the more than three million truck drivers hauling goods from state to
state are now able to transform their business with wireless Internet
access.

By using a Linux-based wireless technology from IBM, Rocksteady Networks and
Columbia Advanced Wireless, truck drivers will be better armed to inform
their drops the exact status of their location, prepare for bad road
conditions and maintain contact with business partners.  The new technology
will allow truck drivers to connect to the Internet at more than 1,000 truck
stops without the wired telephone ports and dial up connections.

Truck drivers are essential to haul everything from automobiles to food.
Unlike other modes of transportation, truck drivers carry nearly all goods
at some point in the US to get door- to-door delivery.

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IBM Wireless Infrastructure to Provide America's Three Million
Truckers Nationwide Truck Stop Wireless Internet Access

1,000 Truck Stops To Be Transformed to Offer Transportation Industry
e-Business On Demand

ARMONK, N.Y. -- March 17, 2003-- IBM and Rocksteady Networks today announced
that the companies will provide the infrastructure for Columbia Advanced
Wireless (CAW) to offer high speed wireless Internet access at more than
1,000 truck stops throughout the country. The new solution will enable
trucking enterprises to gain access to critical information by extending an
e-business through this new wireless e- solution. 

Rocksteady software loaded on IBM's Intel-based servers running Linux will
enable the nation's truckers to connect to the Internet through 802.11
Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN'S) deployed by Columbia Advanced
Wireless. The new solution follows IBM's recent announcement that the
company joined Intel and AT&T to form a new company called Cometa Networks
to roll out a ubiquitous nationwide network of public wireless LANs.  

According to studies by CAW, more than 25 percent of the three million truck
drivers in the U.S. carry laptops. [1] The benefits of Internet access to
truck drivers are numerous including the ability for drivers to quickly
locate and negotiate loads, to transact banking, to maintain contact with
their business partners and employers, and to track weather and road
conditions. 

CAW will deploy 802.11b or Wi-Fi hotspots at selected truck stops and offer
prepaid access cards that act like prepaid calling cards.  When accessing
the Wireless Local Area Networks at the truck stop drivers can access the
Internet using wirelessly enabled laptop computers and are prompted to enter
an account number from the prepaid access cards. This new service is
designed to increase the driver's success in a highly competitive industry. 

For security and optimum performance CAW will deploy the Rocksteady NSA
Network Sharing Application and IBM eServer xSeries systems running Linux as
the platform for the new Internet access points.  Rocksteady NSA selectively
determines whether the truck driver can enter the network and dynamically
manages their Internet session based on their credentials. Additional
capabilities, such as dynamic bandwidth shaping and metering, help provide a
high level of network performance by allocating and prioritizing bandwidth
usage in real time on a user-by-user basis.

"Trucking enterprises can help maximize the return on their IT investment by
utilizing an on demand operating environment through this secure, reliable
and scalable end-to-end mobility solution," said Rich Michos, VP Linux
Servers, IBM.  "Accessing backend applications and data running Rocksteady
Network software on Linux and IBM Intel-based servers, the new solution will
help streamline the efficiency of the trucking industry's business processes
enabling truckers to do more business from the road."

"We wanted truck drivers to be able to enter a truck stop, and purchase a
prepaid card to gain access to the network, much like a pre-paid phone
card," said William Read, CEO, Columbia Advanced Wireless.  "We require
virtually 100% uptime, and since we don't maintain an IT staff at the
locations, we need a highly reliable solution. We tried other solutions that
simply were not up to the task of performing reliably in a hostile
environment.  Fortunately, we have found the integration of the IBM xSeries
systems and Rocksteady's Network Sharing Application meets our reliability
requirements and provides us the ability to rapidly deploy and easily manage
our platforms."

"With our expanding relationship with IBM, we can provide cost-effective
solutions that will span 1,000 truck stops within four time zones," said
Kerry Grimes, president and CEO, Rocksteady Networks.  "CAW wanted a product
that was easy to install and maintain but powerful enough to handle
high-volume Internet access with maximum quality of service.  With IBM's
hardware and our software, we were able to provide those services without
requiring IT managers to be onsite, which has the ability to save CAW
thousands of dollars in costs each month."


# # #

[1] According to the US Department of Labor study, truck drivers held about
3.3 million jobs in 2000.   http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos246.htm

About CAW, Inc.
Columbia Advanced Wireless, Inc. (CAW) is in the business of marketing and
deploying 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN's) to the truck stop
industry. The applied technology allows end users to access the Internet
remotely within a controlled area. The benefits of CAW's service allows end
users to connect to the Internet anywhere at a truck stop without the
limitations of wired telephone ports or other wired business solutions
typically provided by truck stops. Wired service providers are limited in
the number of ports available to the end
user and typically utilize a 56k modem resulting in a slow connection. CAW's
solution utilizes broadband service and offers connection speeds of up to
640k while providing Internet access throughout a truck stop. This freedom
allows end users to access the Internet from anywhere at the truck stop,
i.e. while fueling at the pump, eating in the restaurant or relaxing in the
cab of their trucks. For more information, please go to www.cawinc.com or
contact CAW CEO William Read at (360) 693-4600.

About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80 years of
leadership in helping businesses innovate. Drawing on resources from across
IBM and key Business Partners, IBM offers a wide range of services,
solutions and technologies that enable customers, large and small, to take
full advantage of the new era of e-business. For more information about
IBM, visit http://www.ibm.com.

About Rocksteady Networks
Rocksteady Networks provides software solutions enabling companies to
securely share their wired and wireless networks with employees, partners,
consultants, and customers. The RocksteadyNSA Network Sharing Application
proactively authenticates each user before they enter the network
environment and then selectively provides access to specific resources and
bandwidth based on the user's relationship to the organization. Customers
benefit from improved network security, as well as enhanced usability and
sharing capabilities. Rocksteady's turnkey, single-vendor solutions reduce
implementation and ongoing management costs and easily integrates with
existing security and authorization technologies. Headquartered in Austin,
Texas, Rocksteady Networks is privately funded and can be found on the web
at www.rocksteady.com.

Media Contacts:
RockSteady Networks
Maury Lane
Hill Country Communications Group
(512) 415-1615
maury.lane@hillcountrycommunications.com

Columbia Advanced Wireless, Inc.
William Read
CEO
360-693-4600
bill@truckervision.com
www.cawinc.com


Andrew Williams
Text 100 Public Relations
Global High Technology Public Relations

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