December 18, 2007
MetroFi Selects MSN SideGuide for Ad Delivery Platform

Mountain View, CA; Tuesday, December 18, 2007: MetroFi, Inc. today announced its planned introduction of Microsoft Corp.’s MSN SideGuide as an advertising delivery platform for its free, ad-supported municipal Wi-Fi service, MetroFi-Free. MetroFi will replace its existing banner ads, sponsor logos and paid search features with MSN SideGuide for users with Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems. MetroFi has planned a phased implementation of MSN SideGuide to its Concord, California and Portland, Oregon networks in January 2008.

The pairing of MSN SideGuide with MetroFi-Free on MetroFi’s municipal wireless broadband networks will enhance the browsing experience of users by conveniently centralizing search and advertising, while adding access to interesting content all in one location. The MSN SideGuide desktop application is easily downloaded and installed by MetroFi-Free users. MetroFi-Free users with MSN SideGuide will now be able to enter search terms, click on news stories and view advertising all within MSN SideGuide — located either to the left or right of the browser screen depending on a user’s preference.

“This evolution of our advertising program exemplifies our ongoing commitment to provide a value-rich, convenient and positive online experience for our network users,” says MetroFi President and CEO, Chuck Haas. “While delivering significant benefits to the MetroFi-Free user base, our adoption of MSN SideGuide also expands the strategic relationship we have enjoyed with Microsoft and MSN since November 2006. We believe their global leadership in software services and solutions lends itself well to greater adoption and acceptance of our networks and services.”

While research has shown that most municipal Wi-Fi network users view being served advertising as an equitable exchange for free, wireless Internet access, research has also shown that some advertising delivery formats are more preferred over others.

“MSN SideGuide is a win-win for service providers, content creators and, most importantly, for consumers,” said Stefan Weitz, director of planning for MSN at Microsoft. “Its ad-serving capabilities will help enhance the monetization of Wi-Fi networks for service providers. Meanwhile, the persistent access to news and information provided by MSN SideGuide will enhance the customer experience by delivering the content that people want.”

MetroFi will continue to use its websites and interstitials (browser-page ads served several times per hour) to deliver advertising from local and national businesses (as well as from other indirect, third party advertising sources).

“We continually monitor progress in online advertising technology and approaches, and remain a pioneer in this space,” says MetroFi VP of Marketing, Lou Pelosi. “Our implementation of MSN SideGuide adds new features and benefits to our MetroFi-Free service while generating advertising revenue to sustain the delivery of free Internet to our users.”

For network users who do not wish to view advertising, MetroFi will continue to offer an ad-free version of its municipal Wi-Fi service for $19.95/mo. For the minority of MetroFi-Free users without MSN SideGuide compatible operating systems, MetroFi will continue to deliver their free wireless Internet access sponsored through other ad formats. The implementation of MSN SideGuide on MetroFi networks does not impact MetroFi’s delivery of public safety networks and subscription-based municipal applications to its government customers.

MetroFi-Free users can learn more about the use of MSN SideGuide on MetroFi networks at http://www.metrofi.com/sideguide.html.

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About MetroFi, Inc.

Headquartered in Mountain View, California, MetroFi, Inc. designs, builds, owns and operates municipal wireless broadband networks for local government employees, residents, businesses and visitors in the communities it serves. MetroFi’s mixed-use wireless broadband networks support public safety, government efficiency and municipal cost savings, while delivering free, advertiser-supported Wi-Fi to the public. Founded in 2002 by experienced broadband networking executives, MetroFi has become the leading service provider in its industry, with network agreements in nearly a dozen, forward-looking U.S. cities, including those in: California (Concord, Cupertino, Foster City, downtown San Jose, Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale); Illinois (Aurora and Naperville); and Oregon (Portland). For more information, please visit www.MetroFi.com.

Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

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