GOWEX and Cisco Announce Global Strategic Relationship to Boost Smart Wi-Fi Connectivity Solutions for Cities

MADRID, SPAIN--(Marketwired - Jun 18, 2014) - Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO)

• This strategic relationship will help build out new Wireless Smart Cities projects in the major world regions in coming years.
• Using high-quality wireless technology and innovative business models, both companies will change the way cities offer Wi-Fi and IoE (Internet of Everything) solutions.
• For the first project under the new initiative, GOWEX and Cisco will work with the Wireless Smart City "Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA)", to provide the necessary infrastructure for smart services and M2M communications.

GOWEX (GOW-MAB, NYSE Alternext ALGOW, LGWXY OTC Market), the leader in creating Wireless Smart Cities, and Cisco announced today that the two companies will promote a comprehensive smart Wi-Fi connectivity solution for cities and their citizens. GOWEX will become a Cisco® Smart+Connected Communities™ (S+CC) global strategic partner.

"We are pleased to announce Cisco's participation in the GOWEX project, which will boost the company towards its goal of bringing a free and smart Wi-Fi connection to 600 cities by 2018. We will position ourselves together as a global Internet reference for cities wishing to offer free Wi-Fi connection and smart services to its citizens and visitors," says Jenaro García, GOWEX CEO. This collaborative approach will significantly increase GOWEX's current pipeline of city projects in different stages of negotiation, which is almost double since 2013.

This strategic relationship will further the efforts of new Smart Cities projects in the major world regions in the coming years. In addition, it will allow for faster development on a combined smart Wi-Fi connectivity solution, to generate significant business opportunities.

"More than 50 percent of people live in urban areas today, and Smart Cities worldwide are competing for sustainable, economic and social urban services now as their populations rise rapidly," said Wim Elfrink, Cisco's EVP of industry solutions and Chief Globalisation Officer. "Cisco's strategic relationship with GOWEX creates a powerful framework for an end-to-end, Internet of Everything solution for urban services. The combination of proven network infrastructure and critical applications not only can optimize all types of urban services but also provide citizens with a better, more connected quality of life."

Global Smart City solution

The combination of the Cisco Internet of Everything ecosystem, and innovative business models, provided by GOWEX, will create a more efficient and effective urban services offer to improve quality of life for citizens. This new model can then help influence the way cities enable Wi-Fi and IoE (Internet of Everything) solutions through various S+CC deployments (such as smart transport and parking, urban safety, traffic management, and smart tourism).

GOWEX brings a model of differentiation and an attractive business for cities that can provide Wi-Fi and intelligent geo-located mobile content services for free, under a sustainable model that is already operating successfully in more than 90 cities worldwide. The company's model of monetization is based on multi-year commercial exploitation contracts, with a revenue income resulting from hosting services such as the geo-located advertising platform, the roaming and offloading platform, and the Wireless Smart Cities platform.

Through this agreement, GOWEX will widen its global presence in vertical markets (retail, sports and entertainment, etc.). The first Smart Cities project under the new collaboration is being deployed at "Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA)." For this project, Cisco has provided the necessary infrastructure to provide M2M communications and smart services to its citizens and workers.

About GOWEX

GOWEX (GOW-MAB, ALGOW-NYSE Alternext, LGWXY-OTC Market) has operated in the telecommunications sector for 15 years. The Company is currently leading the creation of Wireless Smart Cities, offering free and premium Wi-Fi connectivity in streets, public spaces, public transport and stations. GOWEX is now exporting its innovative business models to more than 90 cities in the world, thanks to different agreements with Public Administrations, Franchise, Associations and Transport companies. Big capital cities like Paris, New York, Dublin, Madrid, Edinburgh, Dubai or San Francisco are enjoying GOWEX services in its streets. 

The company works to create Wireless Smart Cities ® (WiFi Smart Cities), offering free WiFi access to citizens, improving the services given through wireless connectivity: online meter reading, traffic light control, public transport fleet management, video surveillance and so on.

In 2010, GOWEX became the first and only Spanish SME making a "dual listing," publicly traded in MAB (GOW) and NYSE-Alternext (ALGOW). The company's total revenue amounted to EUR 183 million in 2013, a 60% more compared to 2012. In December 2012, GOWEX subscribed a EUR 18 million capital, adding 1,528,404 new common shares to the market. In February 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the emission of the ADR's program (American Depositary Receipt) allowing the Group to be quoted in the USA's market OTCQX.

Having offices in Madrid, Paris, Dubai, London, Buenos Aires, Shanghai and Costa Rica, GOWEX develops a sustainable business model in its WiFi networks, based on the efficient and technical quality of their patented platforms: the Roaming Platform, which allows users to connect freely in GOWEX's cities, and the Geolocated Content and Advertisement Platform, which provide financing system through marketing and advertisement agreements.

In 2011, GOWEX joined the Wireless Broadband Alliance and received a prize for being the "Best Company" on the Internet Day. In 2013, the company was rewarded as "Best New listed Company" in the first edition of the " European Small *Mid-Cap Awards".

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