2008-09-08 16:46:02 -

- For Polaris Wireless Kathleen Gratehouse, 415-963-4174 ext. 2 kathleen (at) bordersgratehouse.com Polaris Wireless, the global leader in high accuracy, software-based location systems, today announced a new solution within its Wireless Location Signatures (Polaris WLS(TM)) family of products. The Polaris Wireless Advanced Hybrid Solution is designed to work in conjunction with A-GPS systems to consistently provide the highest possible accuracy

across all environments, especially dense urban and indoor environments, where standalone A-GPS mobile location solutions experience severe accuracy, yield and latency challenges. Polaris's patented Advanced Hybrid Solution can now locate callers in urban environments with accuracy improvements ranging from 40 to 70 percent, at the 67th and 95th percentiles respectively, as compared to standalone A-GPS. This increased accuracy represents a significant improvement for the industry and is unmatched by other less advanced hybrid solutions.

High-value applications such as navigation, work force management, child/family finder and social networking require consistent high accuracy across all environments, including indoor and dense urban, in order to provide a high quality user experience. These location-based-services (LBS) represent a lucrative revenue stream for wireless carriers globally. Only the Polaris Wireless Advanced Hybrid Solution delivers this level of accuracy consistency across all environments by uniquely incorporating all available satellite and wireless information into its Wireless Location Signatures system.

Polaris Wireless has developed unique algorithms, based on extensive testing in challenging environments that effectively combine information from WLS and A-GPS to provide the highest and most consistent accuracy. These algorithms dramatically enhance performance in comparison to simple fallback approaches that select another location technology when A-GPS fails to get a location fix. Polaris Wireless' Advanced Hybrid Solution also improves time-to-fix to support location applications that require immediate accuracy location information; that is, within 3-4 seconds, rather than over 20 seconds with a stand-alone A-GPS solution.

"There is a strong need for location solutions that close the accuracy gap for indoor and urban calls where well over 60% of all wireless usage takes place," commented Brent Iadarola from Frost and Sullivan. "No single location technology alone meets the location accuracy needs of LBS applications across all calling environments, making hybrid solutions necessary to fulfill the promise of next generation location services."

The Polaris Wireless Advanced Hybrid Solution is available as a commercial, Tier 1 carrier grade, LBS-ready platform supported on fully redundant and scalable off-the-shelf server hardware. Together, these specifications leverage Polaris Wireless' proven software-based location technology to support pervasive LBS with mass-market location capabilities now and in the future. The Polaris Advanced Hybrid Solution is built to work with all legacy handsets, as well as the next generation of feature rich smart phones as they become available in the market. The Polaris Hybrid Solution works for existing 2G and 3G networks and can be easily transitioned to work with the next generation of networks such as 4G/LTE and WiMax.

"Building on Polaris Wireless' commercially proven and unique capability to accurately locate all calls anywhere in the wireless network, our new Advanced Hybrid Solution offers something that no other location technology, such as GPS/A-GPS and UTDOA, can do," said Dr. Marty Feuerstein, CTO of Polaris Wireless. "Because the Polaris WLS(TM) technology provides a powerful system that processes a variety of network information, wireless carriers can now benefit from a solution that improves as wireless devices become more powerful and evolves across all air-interfaces."

The Power of Signatures

The Polaris Wireless Advanced Hybrid Solution taps the power of handset signature technology to deliver the industry's highest level of accuracy. Like a fingerprint's pattern of lines and swirls, a location can be identified by a unique set of values including measurements of neighboring cell signal strengths, time delay and other network parameters. Polaris Wireless leverages existing wireless location technologies to mine network measurement information and determine accurate locations to within tens of meters.

About Polaris Wireless

Polaris Wireless is committed to simplifying and improving the process of location of mobile phones for carriers around the globe by serving as the price/performance leader delivering accurate, reliable and flexible products to support a variety of applications. Since 2003 Polaris has been successfully deploying the only software-based location system that meets FCC E911 Phase II requirements. Polaris is backed by venture capital funds Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Draper Richards and Centre Palisades Ventures. For more information about Polaris Wireless please visit www.polariswireless.com.

Polaris Wireless Location Signatures(TM) is a registered trademark of Polaris Wireless. Polaris WLS(TM) is a trademark of Polaris Wireless.

Built for Next Generation Handsets and Network Architectures
Globally, Solution Delivers Consistent High Accuracy Across All
Environments