July 27 , 2005

For more information contact:
Steve McMenamin
steven.mcmenamin@dot.iowa.gov
515-239-1680 or 515-290-2814

Iowa 's rest areas and state-managed welcome centers
now all wireless-equipped

AMES , Iowa --- The Iowa Department of Transportation has successfully established the nation's first statewide wireless network allowing travelers to connect to the Internet at state-managed rest areas and welcome centers.

Travelers will have access to instantaneous travel information, including weather and road conditions, construction updates, Amber Alerts and emergency notifications along with the ability to check E-mail and surf the Web.

Iowa DOT Rest Area Administrator Steve McMenamin said, “We are excited to be able to provide this service to Iowans and those visiting our state...undoubtedly other states will be looking to ours as a leader in traveler information services.”

Travelers wishing to access the system need a wireless-enabled device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) , portable computer or cell phone, which uses the industry-standard 802.11b protocol.

The service is free to travelers and provided at no cost to Iowa taxpayers through a partnership with I Spot Networks. This initiative is advertiser-supported through an intuitive interface called Blue Sign Plus, modeled after the familiar roadside signs. Blue Sign Plus assists travelers by helping them locate food, lodging, attractions, and travel services near the rest area where they have stopped, or at any upcoming interstate exit.

A recent example of wireless technology benefiting a traveler came from Greg Nunn, information technology manager for 3M's Columbia , Missouri plant. Nunn said, “I had a teleconference scheduled one afternoon while traveling through Iowa . Shortly before the scheduled start time, I came upon a rest area sign which noted that it had wireless internet. I was able to set up in a very nice pavilion, plug my nearly dead mobile phone's charger into a weather-proof outlet on the pillar, and set up my notebook computer on the picnic table. It was the best environment that I ever made a teleconference from -- and yet I had all of the technology I needed to be effective! I don't know who had the foresight to put wireless internet in for travelers, but they also get a hearty ‘thank you!'”

Des Moines-based I Spot Networks installed and will be managing the wireless network, which includes 39 rest areas and seven welcome centers. I Spot Networks President Mark Wheeler said, “More than 18 million rest area visitors will now have access to the things they need while on the road. I'm very pleased that our company is helping Iowa lead the nation in wireless communications.”

Based on a trial completed by the company for the Iowa DOT in 2004, I Spot Networks estimates that more than one-in-six rest area visitors will use the system annually. The number is expected to climb as awareness among Iowa's traveling public grows. Last year, 18.5 million people traveled across the Iowa Interstate System.

I Spot Networks, L.L.C. is a wireless network (i.e. Wi-Fi hotspot) management, promotions and consulting firm based in Des Moines, Iowa. The company, founded in March 2002, owns or operates "FREE Customer Access" public, wireless networks in several communities throughout the Midwest .

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