SolaCom Announces Three Systems to be Installed in U.S. Contract Towers

SolaCom Technologies, a communications solution company that enables interoperability over any network infrastructure, announces that its Liberty-STAR voice communication control system (VCCS) will be installed in three U.S. air traffic control (ATC) contract towers. The three airports getting the new systems are located in Joplin, MO; Conroe, TX and Jackson County, OR. The contract tower program was established by FAA in 1982 to enhance safety, improve ATC services to smaller airports in the United States as well as provide significant cost savings to the FAA. Today, contract towers represent 45% of all towers in the U.S. and handle 25% of all tower traffic. In a report recently given to the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), it was estimated that the FAA saves $173 million annually in operating costs thanks to the contract tower program. Currently, SolaCom is the fastest-growing provider of VCCS systems for contract towers in the U.S., with systems now installed in nearly 30 sites. With the continuing growth in regional air traffic we see the growth of contract towers increasing significantly in the future with another 25 new towers going up in the next three years alone, said Spencer Dickerson, Senior Executive Vice President of the AAAE and Executive Director of the U.S. Contract Tower Association (USCTA). SolaCom is poised to thrive in this booming market with a large majority of existing contract towers (242 today) also needing system updates as their equipment becomes outdated. We are very pleased with the strides SolaCom has made in the contract tower business over the last couple years, said Pierre Plangger, Vice President, ATC Sales and Marketing. Most small towers need to integrate equipment from a variety of vendors, increasing costs, time to build, and leading to more potential points of failure. SolaCom provides an integrated communication solution designed specifically for the smaller tower environment. The Liberty-STAR VCCS systems in Joplin and Conroe will include: - 2 Touch Screen Operator Positions - 4 Radio Interfaces - 4 CO Lines, 1 Ring down Port - Recorder ports for all positions and interfaces The Liberty-STAR VCCS system in Jackson County will include: - 2 Touch Screen Operator Positions - 8 Radio Interface - 12 Telephone Interfaces - 12 Ring down lines The contract tower program has received positive endorsements from all parties involved, including the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Department of Transportation Inspector General, Congress, airport management, and most importantly, the users of the aviation system. Airports with contract towers have expressed great support for the program in light of the fact that many of these facilities would otherwise be forced to close due to FAA budget constraints.

The U.S. Contract Tower Association (USCTA) was established in 1996 by the AAAE Board of Directors to advance aviation safety and enhance the future viability of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Contract Tower Program. To learn more about the USCTA, visit them at www.contracttower.org.

AAAE was founded in 1928 to represent airport management throughout the United States. The AAAE is the largest professional organization for airport executives in the world, representing thousands of airport management personnel at public use airports nationwide. The American Association of Airport Executives' primary goal is to assist airport executives in fulfilling their responsibilities to the airports and communities they serve. To learn more about the AAAE, visit them at www.aaae.org.

A privately held corporation headquartered in Canada's national capital region, SolaCom Technologies, Inc. has acquired more than 25 years of knowledge and experience engineering some of the world's most reliable critical communication systems. With the structure and broad expertise to execute customized solutions into a powerful set of communication tools, SolaCom enables interoperability over any network infrastructure in air traffic control, homeland security, public networks, military C4I, marine communication, emergency response, and other mission-critical applications. For further information Antonio Cassandra (613) 693-0641 Ext. 297 acassandra@solacom.com