Ekahau and Symbol Technologies Team to Location-Enable Passive RFID Tags

28 February 2006

Ekahau Inc. and Symbol Technologies Inc. (NYSE: SBL), The Enterprise Mobility Company(TM), today announced a solution to help organisations more efficiently track the location of inventory and assets with radio frequency identification (RFID). The first implementation of this new application will use Symbol's MC9000 mobile computing RFID reader, which incorporates Ekahau location-enabling software designed to locate where RFID tags are being read.

The RFID location-enabled Symbol mobile computers are aimed at the retail and supply chain markets and can be extended to pharmaceutical, healthcare, government and other industries where there is strong adoption for Electronic Product Code (EPC) RFID.

The Symbol MC9000-G RFID mobile computer integrates Ekahau's location- tracking software which, in conjunction with a computer running the Ekahau Positioning Engine 3.1 (EPE) application, uses existing Wi-Fi networks to show in real-time the location of the devices. The combined solution will enhance the functionality of passive RFID tags by tracking the location of the mobile computer when in use and converting the location information into EPC RFID data in the supply chain. This unique approach marries the benefits of real- time location systems (RTLS) and RFID by extending the tracking capabilities of RTLS to RFID.

Symbol rugged mobile computers embedded with Ekahau's Wi-Fi-enabled, location-tracking solution are powerful tools for retailers and other companies that rely heavily on passive RFID tags to manage inventory, and can benefit from knowing where those products reside at any given time," said Tuomo Rutanen, vice president of business development at Ekahau. "Staff can reduce the time searching large warehouses or retail facilities, and more quickly find the RFID-tagged items, which allow them to better attend to customers' needs."

Supply chain management can become much more streamlined with Symbol's new location-enabled RFID mobile computers," said Phil Lazo, vice president and general manager of Symbol RFID infrastructure. "The ability to monitor the location of their RFID-tagged products provide our customers with a distinct advantage over their competitors -- from being able to improve their ability to fill orders to cutting costs associated with manual tracking activities."

Symbol MC9000-G RFID Mobile Computers

The Symbol MC9000-G RFID mobile computer extends visibility into customers' supply chain for the insight companies need to manage exception handling in the supply chain. Combining RFID, bar code reading, imaging and wireless connectivity in a rugged design, this rugged computer allows customers to efficiently capture, move, and manage their information at the point of business activity. With real-time access to transaction activity, organisations are able to make better-informed decisions to improve processes and more confidently and accurately respond to customer demand.

The Ekahau EPE 3.1 is the only software-based real-time location system on the market today. The EPE leverages existing Wi-Fi networks, and with its patented positioning technology based on site calibration, can identify the location of tracked objects within a few meters.

About Ekahau Inc.

Ekahau Inc. is the industry leader in providing Wi-Fi based RTLS solutions. Ekahau's customers, including several Fortune 500 companies worldwide, are realising the benefits of Wi-Fi based location services and innovative Wi-Fi network planning and optimisation tools. Ekahau partners include wireless software developers, leading system integrators, and international OEM partners, who develop and market wireless enterprise applications. Ekahau is a US based corporation, with offices in Saratoga, CA; Reston, VA; Helsinki, Finland and Hong Kong, China. For more information about Ekahau, please visit at www.ekahau.com

About Symbol Technologies

Symbol Technologies Inc., The Enterprise Mobility Company(TM), is a recognised worldwide leader in enterprise mobility, delivering products and solutions that capture, move and manage information in real time to and from the point of business activity. Symbol enterprise mobility solutions integrate advanced data capture products, radio frequency identification technology, mobile computing platforms, wireless infrastructure, mobility software and world-class services programs under the Symbol Enterprise Mobility Services brand. Symbol enterprise mobility products and solutions are proven to increase workforce productivity, reduce operating costs, drive operational efficiencies and realise competitive advantages for the world's leading companies. For more information, please visit www.symbol.com.

For further information: Ekahau Media Contact: Juliet Travis, Rocket Science PR, for Ekahau, (415) 464-8110 x 5, juliet@rocketscience.com; Symbol Media Contact: Bill Abelson, Public Relations Director, Symbol Technologies, (631) 738-4751, bill.abelson@symbol.com

Source: newswire