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SOMA Networks, Inc. Enters into Agreement with Sharp Corporation to Develop Next Generation of SOMAport Devices Sharp Also Invests in San Francisco-based Fixed Wireless Company San Francisco, October 15, 2001 - SOMA Networks, a provider of fixed wireless equipment for the integrated delivery of high-speed data and carrier-grade voice services, announced today that Sharp Corporation, a leading manufacturer of consumer and information technology products, has entered into agreements to develop a family of second-generation SOMAport™ devices. The SOMAport is the consumer premises hardware component of SOMA Networks' "last-mile" telecommunications solution, which uses the latest advancements in fixed wireless, distributed computing, and Internet technologies to deliver carrier-grade voice and multi-megabit data services to the residential and small-office market. With the launching of this partnership between the two companies, Sharp becomes the first outside manufacturer to develop new variations of SOMA Networks' customer premises equipment. SOMA Networks' SOMAport is an intelligent network appliance for the delivery of multimedia subscriber services, including a variety of carrier-grade voice applications as well as high-speed Internet access. Using SOMA Networks' modem technology, bandwidth-management technology, and patent-pending self-steering antenna, the SOMAport requires no "truck roll" for installation and can be drop-shipped as a self-installing, self-provisioning platform for the rapid delivery of voice, data, and multimedia services to the home and small office. Services such as Caller ID, Call Waiting, and Call Forwarding are "soft-enabled" for quick deployment without requiring any infrastructure changes. SOMA Networks and Sharp will work together to deliver this highly functional yet inexpensive customer premises equipment to carriers in North America and overseas. SOMA Networks - which is currently conducting field trials of its non-line-of-sight fixed wireless system with several large North American carriers - will contribute its expertise in fixed wireless and telephony, while Sharp will contribute its capability for developing innovative, large-volume consumer electronics, communication, and information technology products. This partnership will ensure quality of product and low prices. The planning process has already begun, and manufacturing and shipping of Sharp's versions of the SOMAport are set for the first quarter of 2003. Sharp's family of SOMAports will follow SOMA Networks' first-generation SOMAport, which will be commercially available in January 2002. In addition, Sharp Corporation has made a financial investment in SOMA Networks' most recent round of equity offerings. This investment is consistent with Sharp's view of the strategic importance of SOMA Networks' technology in shaping the future of broadband access and voice applications. SOMA Networks has developed the industry's leading fixed wireless technology optimized for both voice and data services, enabling communication between the SOMAport and the system's base stations. Built on a foundation of industry-proven W-CDMA technology, enhanced for Internet performance using state-of-the-art radio and QoS techniques, the SOMA Air Interface™ delivers peak rates of up to 12 Mbps per user, carrier-grade voice, and managed multimedia services. The SOMA Air Interface currently supports PCS and MMDS spectrum, with support for other spectrum in development. SOMA Networks' technology transforms the residential edge of the telecommunications infrastructure into a networked computing environment controlled by a distributed service creation and delivery platform called Amos™. Consisting of thousands to millions of SOMAports and one to thousands of base stations linked in a variety of ways, this network can be programmed like a PC - in contrast to the current technology, which is hardwired like calculators from the 1960s - and voice and Internet services simply become applications running together over the same, converged system. Through a revolutionary open application programming interface (API), Amos enables the creation of unlimited network applications at a fraction of the time and cost required of existing equipment providers. "As SOMA Networks is moving quickly to deliver our patent-pending technologies to market, finding a manufacturer that registers with both business organizations and consumers was a priority," said Yatish Pathak, President and CEO of SOMA Networks. "Sharp Corporation has the proven track record we need to make sure that SOMA Networks' system is a success." "Working with SOMA Networks, Sharp will have the chance to make another solid innovative product for consumers," said Yoichi Sakai, Corporate Director and Group General Manager, Communication System Group, of Sharp Corporation. "Sharp's dedication to delivering the highest quality technology components will again be seen in our work with the Sharp versions of the SOMAport." About Sharp Corporation About SOMA Networks:
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