National Express Launches Mobile Wi-Fi Trial

Coaches get connected!

National Express' coach-travelling passengers will, for the first time, be able to connect to the Internet while on the way to and home from work as part of a new trial with Telabria, the award-winning developer of wireless access systems.

Customers boarding coaches on the 010 London to Cambridge route now have access to broadband Internet access on the move through their Wi-Fi enabled laptops, PDAs and other handheld devices. What's more, from 6 March 2006 a new stop at Canary Wharf will be served on the 010 service enabling people to travel direct to the business district every day.

Each coach on the route will carry Telabria's innovative mSystem MobilAP-3G, a multi-radio system that combines an 802.11b/g Wi-Fi access point with the 3G data. This ground-breaking technology means passengers on public transport systems will be able to connect to the Internet on the move at the highest speeds available wherever there is 3G network coverage.

Gerry Price, Head of Engineering for National Express, said: "We are very excited about the potential of this trial and the benefits it will bring to our customers, particularly those on busy commuter routes who increasingly see the value of staying connected travelling to and from work.

"But it's not just the business community who will benefit. Mobile communication is increasingly being seen as a pre-requisite by a wide variety of travellers on the move. This trial demonstrates that National Express is at the forefront of assessing mobile technology systems for public transport, something that we hope will prove to be an important part of what we offer customers."

Jim Baker, CEO and founder of Telabria, added: "National Express is the first UK public transport operator to recognise the potential benefits of the completely portable Wi-Fi system we have developed. The fact that National Express customers, thanks to this technology, will have access to a fast internet connection throughout their journey is a significant step forward."

Telabria believes that fully mobile, uninterrupted access to fast wireless internet connections will become as commonplace on public transportation as they currently are in coffee shops, airport lounges, hotels and pubs.

Ninety-five per cent of all notebooks now ship with integrated wireless support, and it is estimated that 3G data coverage between the leading network operators is available to over 60% of the UK population, with GPRS data coverage extending to over 95%.

While the National Express trial provides Internet access to passengers for free, the mSystem MobilAP-3G features integrated support for user authentication and billing, enabling operators to charge for Internet access on a tariff of their choice, thereby generating an additional revenue stream or added value service for customers. It also supports a range of third-party 3G data cards and networks, including Vodaphone, O2, T-Mobile, and Orange.

-ENDS-

About National Express

National Express is the largest scheduled coach service provider in Europe. In the UK their distinctive red, white and blue coaches operate to more than 1,000 destinations and carry over 18 million customers a year. Eurolines coaches additionally operate to over 500 destinations within Europe and Ireland. The company was established more than 30 years ago in Birmingham and is proud to be an award winning company for its customer service excellence (National Customer Service Awards 2005).

National Express is part of a leading international transport provider, National Express Group (NEG), with over 45,000 employees. In addition to train and bus companies within the UK including Gatwick Express, Midland Mainline and Travel West Midlands, NEG's overseas operations include student transportation and public transit in the USA and Canada and the management of Stewart International Airport near New York. In total National Express Group now carry more than 1 billion passengers a year.

About Telabria

Founded in 2003, Telabria is an award winning, privately held developer of next-generation wireless products and networks for residential, business, and enterprise markets. Telabria products based on its multi-radio mSystem platform include the AMP-300 dual-radio outdoor mesh access point, designed for metro-scale Wi-Fi networks; and the MobilAP, a portable wireless device aimed at public transportation and mobile workgroup markets that bridges Wi-Fi access with 3G, HSDPA, UMTS TDD and WiMAX backhaul. Telabria solutions are deployed in urban, suburban and rural commercial markets, and in public sector environments including schools, libraries, museums, and local government buildings. For more information, visit www.telabria.com.

For more information, please contact: Alex Bellinger, Origin PR (for Telabria): +44 (0)1892 618276 Joy Williams, Press Manager, National Express: +44 (0)121 423 8716.

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