This network delivers high-speed, cost-effective and ultra-reliable broadband Internet access to over 100,000 potential residential and commercial clients in Spokane County. The expanded
network has three unique features:

1. It offers very high reliability through a redundant ring design;
2. It has multiple connections to the Internet; and
3. It uses state-of-the-art fiber optic, wired and wireless technologies

A ring design has at least two connections to the network at each critical point. This allows rapid switchover in the event of service interruption or component failure. Restoration of network connectivity usually occurs within a few seconds. The Ptera Wireless network is the first redundant wireless network in the Northwest. The network provides up to eight megabits per second (Mbps)
throughput to the user and backbone speeds in excess of 50 Mbps.

Ptera Wireless provides Spokane businesses with a low-cost alternative to private local network connections such as point-to-point T1 lines. Doctor's offices, technology firms, educational institutions, etc., will benefit by extending their networks to multiple locations without having to enter the public Internet.

Ptera is beginning a major marketing and sales campaign for the region, and is also seeking partners to help expand its reach to the small cities and towns in the surrounding areas.

About Ptera

Located in the Pacific Northwest, Ptera Wireless Internet Services was created almost 3 years ago in response to the emerging need for improved broadband Internet access. Ptera's wireless Internet solutions help customers receive reliable broadband by offering wireless access in many parts of Spokane County. For more information about Ptera, please visit www.ptera.net.

Ptera Wireless Inc. is a sister company of Tylite, Inc. To learn more about Tylite, a privately-held broadband system integrator based in Liberty Lake, Washington, please visit our web site at www.tylite.com.

November 3, 2003 - Ptera Wireless Internet, today announced the acquisition of the wireless network division of Icehouse Net Services.


November 3, 2003 - Liberty Lake, Washington - Ptera Wireless Internet, a two year old Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) headquartered in Liberty Lake, Washington, today announced the acquisition of the wireless network division of Icehouse Net Services, an ISP based in Spokane, Washington. Under the agreement, Ptera agreed to assume Icehouse's wireless operations in Spokane. Terms of the agreement were not released.
Acquisition by Ptera Wireless of Icehouse's wireless services was finalized October 27, 2003. The transaction should result in a smooth transition for Icehouse's wireless customer base to Ptera.

"We look forward to the opportunity to work with Icehouse, one of the major ISP's in this area, and to expand Ptera into the largest wireless Internet Service Provider in Eastern Washington, serving almost 300 customers. We will now be able to offer wireless service to much of Spokane County and into Idaho," said Ptera Founder and CEO Jim Wilson.

"Ptera is focused on offering high-speed wireless connectivity to commercial and residential customers in Spokane County and in small communities and rural areas in the Northwest," Wilson said. "Our new customers will benefit from our recent investments and our experience in implementing and managing wireless and fiber networks."

Ptera strives for great customer service and reliable connections. The company's broadband offerings compare favorably with cable and DSL solutions, and they offer free filtering for SPAM and inappropriate sites for children. Ptera supports many types of highly secure VPN's, and provides set-up and maintenance services for home networks.

Look for Ptera wireless hot zones coming to commercial parts of the county in the next few months.

About Ptera

Located in the Pacific Northwest, Ptera Wireless Internet Service was formed in response to the emerging need for improved Internet technology and access. For more information about Ptera, please visit www.ptera.net.

Ptera Wireless Internet Service is an affiliate of Tylite, Inc. Tylite, based in Liberty Lake, Washington, is the premier architect of high-speed broadband fiber networks for small and rural cities and towns. Please visit our web site at www.tylite.com to learn more.

About Icehouse

Icehouse Net Services is one of the Inland Northwest's highest-rated and fastest-growing Internet Providers, with services extending into the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene, Boise, Everett and Seattle areas. Icehouse provides dial-up, high-speed DSL, frame relay, server co-lo's and web hosting for both wholesale and retail accounts. Additional information on the company is available at www.icehouse.net

Snow, wind, hail, thunder, lightning, it doesn't matter. Jim Walker and his team at PTERA Wireless Internet will go up on the roof to install your high-speed Internet access.

So far, PTERA, a new company created by local entrepreneur Jim Wilson, is the first to offer a high-speed Internet option to the entire Liberty Lake community.

…

What do these companies mean when they say "high speed." Right now, almost all of us (except those living at Big Trout Lodge and those who have the luxury of a T-1 line) plod along, limited by the capabilities of our 56kbps modem.

Consequently, we experience the frustration of waiting; waiting to connect, waiting for a web site to display, waiting for a screen to refresh, waiting and waiting and waiting when attempting to transfer big files or view video, etc. Traditional phone lines just weren't designed to carry loads and loads of data. The frustration is often intensified when an individual goes to work at an office that provides high-speed access, and then comes home to work or surf.

But, there is a ray of hope. At least four companies have declared their intent or ability to provide high-speed Internet access to Liberty Lake homes or businesses.

PTERA Wireless, the only company currently installing solutions, offers a business solution and a residential solution. The PTERA solution is "a fixed wireless and fiber combination," according to company founder, Jim Wilson. Data is transmitted to and from a Liberty Lake "point of presence" at very high speeds, through an underground fiber connection with a major regional network. That data is then distributed to Liberty Lake customers through the air.

Asked why PTERA chose to offer their solution to Liberty Lake first, Wilson said, "We live here, we think it's a high tech area, and there was no access." And now there is high-speed access. Wilson said "PTERA has begun delivery to beta-site customers and we expect to roll out delivery to residential customers in the next month."

Jim Walker who is managing the delivery of PTERA services said "We've had a great response from the Liberty Lake area so far. Right now we're concentrating on businesses and then we'll migrate to home offices and then to residences."

With plans for "five points of presence in the area," Wilson said PTERA can "provide whatever bandwidth the customer needs." Bandwidth is the key to high-speed data transmission. If your Internet access currently comes through a 56kbps modem, then the move to high-speed access will be like replacing a narrow country road with a twelve-lane expressway.

In the case of PTERA, the expressway permits speeds up to 11 megabits per second (mbps), which is about 200 times faster than your clunky modem. And while speed is often limited by the hardware and software available, Walker says a soon-to-be-available Network Interface Card standard will "increase that to 54 mbps."

… Walker of PTERA said, "We have a fiber optic backbone that is expandable, depending on the number of people who sign up."

The number of people interested will also determine the number of service providers who extend their solution to the Liberty Lake market. Currently, PTERA is the only company actually installing solutions, but others are sure to follow.

Despite the nose-dive of the telecommunications industry, consumers still crave faster internet access. Particularly thirsty are the telecommuters and the consumers who enjoy massive bandwidth at work and then come home to sluggish phone line restricted connectivity. 

And while newspaper, radio and television ads would lead us to believe that there are many different companies just waiting to give us high speed internet access, the truth remains that very few options are available to Liberty Lake homes.

However, few is better than none. When we researched the Liberty Lake options just one year ago, most of these providers were anticipating the availability of their services. Today, at least four different companies have actually been installing high speed internet in Liberty Lake homes, and a fifth still has plans for the near future.

PTERA Wireless Internet, Icehouse, Velocitus, and Starband are installing high-speed Internet options in Liberty Lake. Community Cable hopes to begin installation some time this spring.

PTERA is a locally owned and operated company. For the home, they offer a basic package and a small business package with speeds ranging from 256 kb per second up to 384 kb per second. The basic package, at $39.95 a month, comes with two free email addresses and has been very popular with Liberty Lake customers, according to sales manager Tony Peck. 

“Our service saves time, improves work efficiency for telecommuters or individuals who take work home with them, and makes surfing the Internet more enjoyable,” Peck explained. Currently PTERA has thirty-one customers in the community.

Jason Pegg, a PTERA customer, who has only lived in Liberty Lake a short time, described his experience with the PTERA service. “I work for a technology consulting firm in Spokane so having a dial up modem just wasn’t going to do it for me,” Jason said. “So far I’ve been pleased with it, not just the actual service, but their responsiveness as well.” 

Jim Wilson, a Liberty Lake resident who founded PTERA, said his team has recently started offering network installation services for families with more than one computer. This offering is so popular, Wilson explained, “That we went from zero to five customers in the last week.” Families that have multiple computers would like them connected to each other, to the printer, and to the Internet, and so Wilson says this service has been very attractive. 

Wilson explained that PTERA also offers virtual private networks (VPN). A virtual private network allows secure transfer of date from a remote site (such as the office) to your home, eliminating the risk of the data being intercepted along the way. 

“All the information is encrypted,” Wilson said, “so that you can email company documents to your home without worrying about other people on the network being able to get access to them.” 

Because PTERA is a local company, offering their services primarily in Liberty Lake, customers do not have to wait for installation or service, Wilson says. Installation can be paid for with a one-time $195 fee or at $20 a month for one year. And when service is necessary, Peck says he will come to your home.