-------------------------------------------------- Wireless Facilities Selected by Westfield to Bring High-Speed Wireless Internet Access (Wi-Fi) to Shopping Centers
SAN DIEGO, May 15, 2003 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Wireless Facilities, Inc. (WFI) (Nasdaq: WFII), a global leader in the design, deployment and management of wireless telecommunications networks, today announced that it has been selected by Westfield (ASX: WFA) as the exclusive provider of Wireless LAN (WLAN) integration services for the Company's US shopping centers.
Westfield is one of the leading fully integrated shopping center organizations in the world. The company serves as developer, architect, builder, and property manager for an $18.4 billion portfolio of 112 shopping centers worldwide, comprising over 90 million square feet of retail space. Under the terms of the agreement, Wireless Facilities will fully enable Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) connectivity, which is a high-speed wireless access technology that allows users to connect to the Internet without using any form of wiring or cabling, into all Westfield Shoppingtowns in the U.S. using Cisco components. Visitors to these locations will be able to access the Internet using any wireless enabled laptop or PDA, making Westfield the first fully wirelessly integrated group of shopping locations in the world. In addition, Westfield retailers will have the opportunity to access a wide variety of new wireless enabled features, which will allow them to enhance the way they do business and interface with their customers. Westfield will also be the first to leverage the wireless environment to enhance the customer experience inside the shopping center from both the marketing and customer service standpoint.
"We are very pleased to have been selected by Westfield as their turnkey partner for this exciting initiative," said Frankie Farjood, President of Enterprise Solutions, WFI. "Today we are seeing the rapid integration of wireless technology into the enterprise space, with an increasing number of retail and commercial establishments offering high-speed Internet access and other amenities as an additional feature to their customers. Westfield is taking this a step further by being the first fully integrated shopping center company to wirelessly enable all of their locations. We believe this initiative will truly showcase the many ways in which wireless technology is changing the way people work and live, and WFI is thrilled to be a part of it."
As a turnkey partner, Wireless Facilities will provide Westfield with a fully integrated set of solutions, supplying backhaul, networking equipment, Wireless LAN design and installation, network maintenance, electronic security, as well as on-going network monitoring through the Company's Network Operations Center (NOC). The first locations to be deployed will be the Westfield Shoppingtowns in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. Subsequent locations will be built-out on an on-going basis.
"Westfield is pleased to be working with Wireless Facilities to bring Wi-Fi to our shoppers and retailers," said Todd Putman, Executive Vice President Marketing, Westfield. "Wireless technology's anytime, anywhere capabilities will profoundly enhance the shopping experience and transform the way our retail partners conduct business."
About Wireless Facilities
A global leader in telecommunications outsourcing, Wireless Facilities, Inc. designs, deploys and manages wireless networks for some of the largest cellular and PCS carriers and equipment suppliers worldwide. Specializing in network architecture and dimensioning of mobile and high speed wireless data systems, including third generation (3G) networks, WFI provides a complete range of network services -- from business and market planning to RF engineering, fixed network engineering, IP and data engineering, site acquisition and development, installation, optimization and maintenance. WFI is headquartered in San Diego and has performed work in over 100 countries since the Company was founded in late 1994. The Company has offices in Dallas, Chicago, Seattle, Reston, Montvale, London, Gothenburg, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, and Bejing. News and information are available at www.wfinet.com .
About Westfield America
Westfield America, Inc. is the United States subsidiary of Westfield America Trust (ASX: WFA), the second-largest property trust listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. WFA owns a majority interest in the Westfield America portfolio of 63 shopping centers, branded as Westfield Shoppingtowns. Westfield Shoppingtowns are home to more than 8,400 specialty stores and encompass 64 million square feet in the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Washington.
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements including, without limitation, express or implied statements concerning the Company's expectations regarding future financial performance and market developments that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company operates in a very dynamic market environment, and expectations or assumptions that appear reasonable as of the date hereof may not be reasonable at any point in the future. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "projects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "may," "will," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are only predictions, and the Company's actual results may differ materially. Factors that may cause the Company's results to differ include, but are not limited to: changes in the scope or timing of the Company's projects; continued and additional slowdowns in telecommunications infrastructure spending in the United States and globally, which could delay network deployment and reduce demand for the Company's services; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer contracts and agreements, or consolidation by or the loss of key customers; the adoption rate of new wireless data services; potential losses or lost opportunities arising from the Company's operation of its variable cost model; potential write-offs of goodwill and other long-lived assets; financial constraints on our customers that could cause us to write off accounts receivable or terminate contracts; failure to successfully consummate acquisitions or integrate acquired operations; changes in the Company's effective income tax rate; the rate of adoption of telecom outsourcing by network carriers and equipment suppliers; the rate of growth of adoption of WLAN and wireless security systems by enterprises; and competition in the marketplace which could reduce revenues and profit margins. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements made herein are reasonable, the Company cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made to conform to actual results or to changes to expectations. These and other risk factors are more fully discussed under "Risks Related to Our Business" and elsewhere in the Company's readily available Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 21, 2003 and in other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
For further information, please contact: media, Catharine C. Dickey, Vice President, Communications of Westfield, +1-310-445-2407; or Gina Aven, Marketing Director of Wireless Facilities, Inc., +1-858-228-2589, gina.aven@wfinet.com .
SOURCE Wireless Facilities, Inc.
CONTACT: Catharine C. Dickey, Vice President, Communications of
Westfield, +1-310-445-2407; or Gina Aven, Marketing Director of Wireless
Facilities, Inc., +1-858-228-2589, gina.aven@wfinet.com
URL: http://www.wfinet.com
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