Meru Networks and Ascom Deliver 802.11n Phones to Health Care Providers

Health care facilities receive the highest level of voice reliability with the only 802.11n wireless phone available in the market today

SUNNYVALE, Calif. and ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- HIMSS 2011 -- Meru Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: MERU), the leader in virtualized 802.11n enterprise wireless networking, today announced that Ascom endorses Meru's AP300 Series with "deployment-proven" support for the Ascom i62, the latest generation of voice over Wi-Fi™ (VoWiFi) handsets.  As the leading provider of virtualized wireless LAN (WLAN) solutions, Meru is the first 802.11n virtualized WLAN provider to offer detailed deployment and interoperability support for Ascom i62 phones.  Since its release in September 2010, Meru has seen significant adoption of the Ascom i62 within its customer base, leading both companies to work together to deliver a best-in-class All-Wireless Enterprise™ experience for Meru's and Ascom's mutual customers.  Meru's industry-leading virtualized WLAN technology and dedicated quality-of-service (QoS) rules for voice calls have proven interoperability with the latest Ascom handsets.  Health care facilities rely on companies like Meru for mobility in workflow situations like messaging alerts, telemetry, real-time locating system (RTLS) and computerized physician order entry (CPOE).  By partnering with Ascom, Meru is able to further extend mobility and voice reliability with the 802.11n wireless phone available in the market today.

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Key Facts

• Health care providers rely on efficient and reliable communications to improve both patient safety and the operational efficiency of the facility.  The Ascom i62 is designed to optimize this experience in two ways by providing 802.11n speed and coverage, as well as allowing the 5GHz band to be used for more reliable VoWiFi communications.  Based on the 802.11n wireless networking standard, Meru's solutions provide high throughput and broad coverage, enabling caregivers to access bandwidth-intensive information including picture archiving communications systems (PACS) and patient medical records quickly and reliably.  
• Based on its unique Virtual Cell™ architecture and support for mission-critical applications, Meru's AP300 Series is suited for bandwidth intensive applications, flexible scalability and high speed data transmissions, earning Meru a place on CRN's 2010 Top 100 Health Care Vendors list.
• Wi-Fi Meltdowns™ are a growing occurrence everyday across enterprises.  Meru's ability to help enterprises avoid a Wi-Fi Meltdown has been demonstrated with its WLAN 500™ demo, with over 500 wireless devices in a 500 square foot area – streaming voice, video and data concurrently and deliver full quality of service whether stationary or mobile.
• Join Meru at booth #2979 for the latest demonstration on Meru's leading health care solutions at HIMSS '11.

Supporting Quotes

Tom McKearney, senior vice president, marketing and business development, Ascom (US) Inc.

"We're committed to delivering exceptional voice and messaging that reflects the way caregivers work.  Our collaboration with Meru is a key element of this strategy, and ensures a smooth transition for early adopters of our latest handsets.  This latest addition to the Ascom handset portfolio provides an ideal complement to the mobility and performance of a Meru network.  As a result, our mutual customers can implement workflows that improve patient safety and outcomes, while minimizing the amount of IT support needed."

John Gallagher, senior director, solutions marketing, Meru Networks

"Meru is the first virtualized WLAN vendor to offer detailed deployment and interoperability support for Ascom i62 phones.  As part of our joint effort with Ascom, our AP300 Series was enhanced to take advantage of Ascom's latest capabilities, accelerating the benefits of the Ascom i62 for our mutual customers.  Together, Meru and Ascom have a proven interoperability between the Ascom VoWiFi handset and Meru's WLAN infrastructure. We are excited to have Ascom part of Meru's 802.11n network."

About Ascom Wireless Solutions

Ascom Wireless Solutions is a leading provider of on-site wireless communications for key segments such as hospitals, manufacturing industries, retail and hotels. More than 75,000 systems are installed at major companies all over the world. The company offers a broad range of voice and professional messaging solutions, creating value for customers by supporting and optimizing their Mission-Critical processes. The solutions are based on VoWiFi and IP-DECT that integrate seamlessly with existing enterprise systems. The company has subsidiaries in 10 countries and 1,200 employees worldwide. Founded in the 1950s and based in Goteborg, Sweden, Ascom is part of the Ascom Group, listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange.

About Meru Networks

Founded in 2002, Meru Networks provides a virtualized wireless LAN solution that cost-effectively optimizes the enterprise network to deliver the performance, reliability, predictability and operational simplicity of a wired network, with the advantages of mobility. Meru's solution represents an innovative approach to wireless networking that utilizes virtualization technology to create an intelligent and self-monitoring wireless network, and enables enterprises to migrate their business-critical applications from wired networks to wireless networks, and become all-wireless enterprises. Meru's solutions have been adopted in major industry vertical markets, including Fortune 500 enterprises, health care, education, retail, manufacturing, hospitality and government. Meru is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has operations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit www.merunetworks.com or call (408) 215-5300.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Meru Networks expectations, hopes, plans, intentions or strategies, including, but not limited to statements regarding Meru's ability to further extend mobility and voice reliability, and to avoid Wi-Fi Meltdowns. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they do not fully materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties include those described in Meru Networks' documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Meru Networks as of the date hereof, and Meru Networks assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Meru Networks is a registered trademark of Meru Networks, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Meru Networks, Inc.