Press Release

KoolSpan and the MIND Lab at the University of Maryland
Receive Funding from MIPS

Scalable Wi-Fi security solution seen as "major breakthrough" Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

COLLEGE PARK, MD, February 10, 2003 - KoolSpan LLC, a Bethesda, MD based developer of security and authentication solutions for 802.11 Wireless LAN's (local area networks) and the Maryland Information Dynamics (MIND) Lab at the University of Maryland have been awarded a $69,300 grant from the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program. This grant will support additional development and beta testing of KoolSpan's unique "edge of network" solution to the serious security and user authentication concerns of business, government, institutional, and public hotspot users of Wi-Fi networks. KoolSpan's solution is the only technology that is affordable and scalable from home or small office all the way to carrier-class levels with millions of users.

"We at the MIND lab believe that KoolSpan's solution is a major breakthrough in securing wireless LANs, providing the missing puzzle piece for Wi-Fi transmissions," stated Dr. Ashok Agrawala, Director of the MIND Lab. "The simplicity of invoking the KoolSpan solution will ensure that wireless LANs would become as secure as the wired connections they are attached to. This has been one of the final obstacles to full 802.11 acceptance and deployment."

"Our relationship with the MIND Lab, which began in September 2002, has proven to have been an enormous help to KoolSpan's development of the most secure, yet inexpensive and scalable solution possible," noted Tony Fascenda, CEO of KoolSpan. "Dr. Agrawala and his colleagues have created a true 'center of excellence' in wireless networking. The MIND Lab gained early notice as one of the first to identify the serious vulnerabilities of 802.11, and have built a world-class test and development facility with a terrific faculty and staff."

"The joint proposal by KoolSpan and the MIND Lab was highly compelling and stood out among the many applications that we received, " stated Peter Hudson, Associate Director of MIPS. "The opportunity to support groundbreaking research and development at the University with major commercial potential for the State of Maryland is exactly what we're looking for. Our reviewers were quite impressed with the ingenuity of the technology, the rigor of the development and testing effort, and the commercial opportunity to lead in the fast-emerging field of wireless data networking."

About KoolSpan

KoolSpan is developing a secure, easy-to-use, scalable solution for 802.11 wireless local area networks. Commonly known as Wi-Fi, 802.11 is the fastest-growing segment of wireless computing in the U.S. and throughout the world. KoolSpan's patent-pending technology delivers user authentication and network security by means of the tamper-resistant token used in millions of cell phones worldwide. KoolSpan's bi-directional Layer 2 encryption solution works independently of the Wi-Fi radio technology allowing it to interface with all versions of 802.11 while providing ease of use when moving among home, office and public hotspot networks. Developed as an open-standards-based platform, KoolSpan also provides application-specific functionality including Location-Based Services as well as additional solutions under development. To learn more about KoolSpan, please visit www.KoolSpan.com.

About MIND Lab

The Maryland Information and Network Dynamics (MIND) Lab is a joint University, private industry, and federal agency initiative designed to foster new, large-scale computer science projects in the areas of wireless networking, networking infrastructure and services, information services and information-centric applications, and information assurance and security. The MIND Lab is part of UMIACS, the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies. To learn more about the MIND Lab, please visit www.mindlab.umd.edu.

About MIPS

The Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program accelerates the commercialization of technology in Maryland by offering matching funds for collaborative R&D projects between industry and University System of Maryland faculty. MIPS is part of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (MTECH), the University's premier unit for advancing technology through collaborative R&D, company incubation, expert solutions and new venture formation. To learn more about MIPS, please visit www.mips.umd.edu.

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Contact:
Sharmon Kollet
MIND Lab
301-405-0341
Jeff Mose
KoolSpan
410-299-5549

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