Proven deployments in industrial and developing countries deliver affordable broadband coverage to both remote towns and major cities around the world

Taipei, Taiwan, 6 January 2004 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today heralded the success of its collaboration with UK-based LocustWorld, the world’s leading mesh networking specialist, in providing urban and rural areas with high performance, economical broadband networking over a wide area using specialized mesh routers based on VIA EPIA Mini-ITX mainboards.

LocustWorld has successfully deployed numerous mesh 802.11 networks, from isolated villages beyond the reach of local ISPs to major urban areas, providing a low-cost invisible blanket of WiFi coverage that delivers high-speed access to the digital world of commerce, education and entertainment. Towns and villages across Europe, the U.S. and Asia have benefited from wireless mesh networks installed over the past year, from Germany to Texas and Borneo, as well as major cities such as London, UK.

“Getting more people online is a vital part of our Empowered Connectivity strategy, enhancing economic and educational prospects and promoting digital equality, both in industrialized and developing nations,” said Richard Brown, Associate Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “LocustWorld shows that with the wireless mesh, broadband internet is within everyone's reach. With their open standard, easy to install mesh networking system based on VIA's embedded platform technologies, LocustWorld has clearly established that the wireless mesh is the most effective way of delivering broadband internet services.”

LocustWorld mesh routers are built around VIA EPIA VE5000 Mini-ITX mainboards featuring the VIA Eden Platform that enables 24/7 operation in smaller, quieter routers with full networking capabilities. LocustWorld and VIA are working together on the next generation of routers that will be based on the new VIA Nano-ITX form factor with the VIA Eden-N processor, the smallest and lowest power processor with enhanced hardware-based security features for faster and more effective AES encryption.

“We have been overwhelmed by the demand for our mesh routers, but working closely with VIA has given us the confidence to respond to the needs of mesh operators worldwide,” says Richard Lander of Locust World. “Moreover, LocustWorld has built up a great reputation as the most secure wireless network available, and the PadLock ACE cryptography tools in the new VIA Eden-N processor will augment that by enabling us to build additional layers of security into our wireless mesh without compromising performance.”

“VIA’s embedded technologies, part of our Spearhead Platform Initiative, are absolutely ideal for these mesh routers due to their size, power consumption and connectivity, enabling smaller, quieter and smarter systems that are easier to install and offer greater security – key drivers of mesh networking,” said Steven Lee, head of VIA Embedded Platform Division. “We are delighted that LocustWorld are taking full advantage of our platform and processor technologies, and especially in developing a dedicated application for the PadLock ACE feature that will facilitate much faster encryption and benefit all users of mesh networks.”

About Mesh Networking
Mesh networking is an innovative, scaleable approach to building complex data networks easily and cost effectively, comprising a series of smart digital routers based on the x86 platform that are designed to carry broadband wireless Internet over a wide area, with autonomous self-detect to enable best-path transmission and ensure always-on coverage.

Suitable for remote villages beyond the reach of ISPs to industrialized cities, mesh networking is rapidly becoming established as a viable and low cost way to deliver broadband wireless Internet. Mesh networks can be configured in numerous ways for commercial and non-commercial uses, and in public or private networking environments.

About LocustWorld Mesh Routers
The LocustWorld Mesh Router is a digitally intelligent device the size of a small video recorder and is based on the VIA EPIA VE5000 Mini-ITX mainboard with a fanless VIA Eden ESP5000 processor, thus containing no moving parts, making for reliable and more cost effective operation. Comprising several ports for device connectivity and at least one on-board WiFi radio, it can create wide area wireless broadband by sending data in multiple low-power hops, enabling the data transmission to cover greater distances.