Proxim Announces Maestro, an Intelligent Wireless LAN (WLAN) Infrastructure That Greatly Simplifies Corporate WLAN Deployments

New Maestro Architecture Safeguards Investments Already Made in WLAN Infrastructure While Providing Support for New Mobile Voice, Data, and Video Applications

"As wireless connectivity becomes increasingly integrated into traditional wired networks, people are discovering a whole new range of issues, from the difficulties and expense of campus-wide deployment to the management of bandwidth to support individual users or applications, " said Angela Champness, senior vice president and general manager of Proxim's LAN Division. "Maestro simplifies all that and makes it easy to manage multiple radio technologies, implement security, provide load balancing, and even deploy a mix of different vendor access points to provide seamless mobile connectivity. It's a great architecture for easily extending departmental wireless LANs across an entire campus."

Maestro Architecture Supports Advanced Network Functionality

Maestro builds on technology that Proxim previously pioneered in Harmony, the world's first centralized solution introduced in 1998.

A key component of the Maestro architecture is the distributed deployment wireless-enabled switches at the edge of the network that integrate advanced mobility, security, network management, voice-over-WLAN, and power-over-Ethernet services. Maestro's "self aware" learning network software creates a wireless LAN that constantly monitors network growth and user density, dynamically adjusting bandwidth, access control, quality of service, and other parameters as mobile users roam throughout the enterprise.

Key features of Maestro include:

• Fast, seamless mobility, which includes roaming across subnets, guaranteeing connectivity while moving around the enterprise. This is of particular value for applications such as VoIP requiring seamless handovers between access points.
• Advanced security and highly granular access control using a centrally located policy administrator and distributed policy enforcers to help enterprise IT Managers define greater levels of security.
• Robust centralized management with Proxim's Wireless Network Manager to support both all types of APs, whether ORiNOCO or non-ORiNOCO.
• Configuration management tools that simplify network installation by automatically "pushing" configuration parameters from the centralized controller to Maestro switches. Access point-specific parameters are delivered by Maestro switches to the APs, reducing the cost of deployments.
• In addition to industry standards, such as 802.11e, Maestro incorporates QoS solutions that build on these standards and leverage Proxim's history of providing high quality voice services over wireless LANs. This will allow IT Managers to service customers using new voice, audio, and video devices that will require quality of service (QoS) provisions to be included in the network.
• ORiNOCO APs can be immediately migrated to the Maestro architecture as it becomes available. There is no need for new cards or retrofitting, unless the user wishes to support other standards.

"A significant issue with wireless LAN deployments is that wireless is a retrofit technology. Usually the best designs are done after the building is constructed and occupied," said Chuck Bartel, director of network services and project director-wireless at Andrew and Carnegie Mellon University. "The Maestro concept could allow wireless LAN implementers to pre-install cabling during the construction phase of a building. This can equate to lower installation costs and faster deployment of a wireless service in a building. This coupled with Maestro's capability to leverage our existing investment in Access Points, while providing enhanced mobility and security features, makes Maestro a compelling technology to contemplate."

Maestro Eliminates Infrastructure Obsolescence

Maestro's inherent support for the enterprise-class ORiNOCO products helps ensure that today's access points will not become obsolete and that any investment in wireless infrastructure will yield increasing results. Existing access points, such as the ORiNOCO AP-2000 and AP-2500, will work with Maestro once it becomes available later this year. Maestro will also strengthen Proxim's Wireless Network Manager software by providing centralized policy-based wireless network administration.

About Proxim
Proxim Corporation is a leading manufacturer of high-performance wireless local area networking (WLAN) and wireless wide area networking (WWAN) products. The company is a leader in the fast-growing markets for 802.11b, 802.11a, and license-exempt fixed wireless networking systems. Proxim's systems securely connect networks within buildings as well as between locations up to 40 miles apart, providing enterprises, service providers, and consumers with unprecedented networking capacity and mobility. Proxim Corporation was created by the merger of Western Multiplex and Proxim, Inc in March 2002, the same year that the company acquired ORiNOCO. Its web site is www.proxim.com.

Safe Harbor
This press release includes forward-looking information and statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Statements regarding the expected benefits of products, including statements regarding product performance related to interoperability, flexibility, speed, security, throughput and reliability, extending the range of wireless networks, and cost savings to customers are subject to the following risks: that the expected benefits will not be realized by customers; that products may not comply with future standards; that products will not perform as designed; that products will not be available due to manufacturing or supply issues; that the range of wireless networks will not be extended; that the product pricing will not competitive; and other risks and uncertainties associated with Proxim's business. For additional information regarding risks relating to Proxim's business, see Proxim Corporation's Forms 10-Q filed on November 12, 2002, on August 12, 2002, as amended, and on May 13, 2002, Western Multiplex' registration statement on Form S-4 filed on February 25, 2002, Western Multiplex Corporation's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001 and subsequent Forms 8-K, Proxim, Inc.'s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001 and subsequent Forms 8-K, and other relevant materials filed by Proxim with the SEC.