BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Spectrum Signal Processing by Vecima (“Spectrum”), an advanced custom radio provider, announced today a partnership with LiveTV LLC, a world leader in in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems for commercial aircraft, to supply next generation radios for LiveTV’s connectivity system. The radios will allow passengers to send and receive email with people on the ground, while they are still in-flight.
Called Kiteline, LiveTV’s connectivity system uses a network of air-ground base stations to transmit data from an aircraft cabin to the ground. With Spectrum’s software defined radios (SDRs), LiveTV will now be able to support current voice communications for the general aviation market as well as data services, such as email and instant messaging, for the commercial and general aviation market.
“This contract with LiveTV is a significant milestone for Spectrum and Vecima because it validates our strategy to expand Spectrum’s SDR technology into broader commercial applications,” said Douglas Fast, President of Spectrum. “Working with an industry leader like LiveTV will allow us to leverage our extensive experience supplying software reconfigurable solutions for military and defense systems into this new commercial application. We also fully expect our software reconfigurable radios to ultimately lower LiveTV’s total cost of ownership for the airborne radios used in this application.”
“Spectrum provides the complete radio solution that LiveTV was looking for at a competitive price,” said Mike Lynch, VP of Connectivity Engineering, at LiveTV. “The SDR technology provides LiveTV’s airline and general aviation customers with a flexible range of upgradeable services that enable airlines to differentiate themselves from their competitors. SDR technology is especially well suited to maintaining and upgrading services in a fleet environment.”
Spectrum will base this new radio on a variant of its flexCommTM SDR-4800 family of embedded radio modules. Airline passengers will be able to use an on-board Wi-Fi network to connect to the in-flight system, which will in turn route the traffic over the Spectrum supplied airborne radio to LiveTV’s ground network. The radio will utilize System-On-Chip (SoC) and embedded RF technologies to produce a compact, fully ruggedized solution. The radio is software reprogrammable, enabling LiveTV to roll out additional features and update the system in the future via software alone. For more information on SDR-4800 family, please visit www.spectrumsignal.com/products.
About Livetv Llc
LiveTV is the world’s leading provider of live in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems for commercial airlines, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of JetBlue. LiveTV is the provider of JetBlue’s in-flight entertainment service — which was recently recognized by the World Airline Entertainment Association as the Best Overall in-flight entertainment experience in the Americas for the second year in a row. In December 2007, LiveTV launched the first free email and messaging service in the U.S. on a JetBlue aircraft called BetaBlue. LiveTV’s customers include JetBlue, Continental, Frontier, WestJet, Virgin Blue and AirTran. Headquartered in Florida, LiveTV has installation and maintenance locations around the world to support more than 500 aircraft equipped with its products. For a full listing of products, services and partners, or for more information, please visit www.livetv.net.
About Spectrum Signal Processing By Vecima
Spectrum Signal Processing is part of Vecima Networks Inc. Within the Vecima umbrella, Spectrum’s primary focus is to deliver leading edge software defined radios and radio products to both commercial and military customers. Spectrum’s products and services are optimized for satellite communications applications, as well as military communications, signals intelligence, surveillance, and electronic warfare. Key customers include commercial satellite communications providers as well as the US Government, its allies and its prime contractors. For more information on Spectrum and its flexComm product line, please visit www.spectrumsignal.com.
Vecima (TSX:VCM) is a leading designer and manufacturer of products that enable broadband access to cable, wireless and telephony networks. Vecima’s products and solutions allow service providers to rapidly and cost-effectively bridge the network segment that connects the system core network directly to end users by overcoming the bottleneck resulting from insufficient carrying capacity in legacy infrastructures. Vecima is focused on providing leading edge technology to a number of markets, including SDR technology in commercial applications, DOCISIS 3.0 modules and systems like HyperQAM to existing and new customers, deep digital decoding through products such as CableVista to support the ongoing shift towards All Digital Cable Networks, and WiMax products to provide connectivity to end users in underserved markets worldwide. For more information on Vecima, please visit www.vecima.com.
Forward-looking Safe Harbour Statement
Certain statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, such statements are generally identified by the use of such words as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “believe”, “plan”, “intend” and other similar terminology. These statements reflect Vecima’s current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors including, but not limited to, the factors discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report dated September 25, 2008 available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.
flexComm is a trademark of Vecima Networks Inc. Other product and company names mentioned may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
For Further Information Please Contact:
Spectrum Signal Processing by Vecima
Mark Briggs
Vice President Marketing
(604) 676-6743
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.spectrumsignal.com
or
Vecima Networks Inc.
Investor Relations Officer
(250) 881-1982
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.vecima.com