VPI.Net Does SoCal WiFi

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Color Broadband, Southern California’s leading wireless broadband provider, today announced it has formed a partnership with VPI.Net, a full-service multi-disciplinary Internet media and development agency, to deliver integrated “hot zones.”

Color Broadband’s partnership with VPI.Net will enable each hot zone or Wi-Fi customer to create a custom portal through which users will connect to the Internet. These portals allow hot zones to deliver compelling content and targeted marketing messages to their users, while serving as a gateway for access the Internet at broadband speeds. Hot zones are being deployed in cafes, hotels, meeting facilities, airports and outdoor business districts.

WiFi, also known as 802.11b, is the most popular high-speed wireless technology. The technology enables users to access the Internet at broadband speeds via a notebook PC or PDA. By 2006, analysts expect nearly 100,000 public Wi-Fi network access points and more than 100 million users worldwide.

In this rapidly expanding Wi-Fi market, Color Broadband and VPI.Net look to effectively communicate standards, protocols and next generation ideas to municipalities, business districts and individual public sites.

“The partnership between Color Broadband and VPI.Net is central to making hot zones indispensable to users and viable businesses for participating organizations,” said Fran McGrath, CEO, Color Broadband. “A customized portal is an essential element in the mix – one that separates an isolated ‘hot spot’ from an integrated, value-added ‘hot zone.’ VPI.Net will provide our shared clients with superior site design, well conceived e commerce strategies and clear business vision.”

“We’re partnering with Color Broadband because the company has the unique ability to understand both the emerging market and the wireless infrastructure to support it,” said Pete Deutschman, EVP, VPI.Net. “Jointly, we will create and use technology that is time-tested and proven while being cost-effective, entertaining, scalable and secure. Collectively, this represents a superb fusing of talents: our two companies offer deep technical knowledge, a unique ability to understand the audience and deliver compelling content in an effective manner, award-winning design and branding, years of wireless experience, and hundreds of Internet deployments.”

“Hot zones will become a fixture once they’re understood to be true wireless extensions of the Web, with all that signifies,” said Color Broadband’s McGrath. “Need some last minute research? Have you checked your e-mail lately? Just because you're out of the office doesn't mean you have to be out of touch. It’s all about connectivity, as a consumer service and as a business proposition.”

VPI.Net’s customers include Dualstar Entertainment group for Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, America Online, the cities of Lake Forest, Aliso Viejo, Pomona, and many others.

Visual Perspectives Internet Inc. (VPI.Net)

Color Broadband Inc.