AirIQ, eDispatch agree to merge

TORONTO (Aug. 2, 2001) — AirIQ, a developer of equipment tracking systems for truck and auto fleets, and eDispatch.com Wireless Data, a provider of dispatch and wireless communications services for field personnel, have agreed to merge.

Financial terms were not announced.

In a press release, Pickering, Ont.-based AirIQ and Vancouver, B.C.-based eDispatch said the merger allows a broad range of complementary solutions and linked services with the goal of becoming a world leader in mobile resource management.

“Not only are mobile workers and vehicle fleets the largest and most important investments for enterprises with a mobile workforce, but they also are the most challenging to manage,” said Donald Simmonds, president and CEO of AirIQ and the combined company. “Now customers will have an even more powerful set of tools to manage these resources.”

AirIQ was formed in 1997 as a partnership of Bell Mobility, Lenbrook, and Veridian Engineering. AirIQ offers telematics solutions that combine on-board computing, global positioning system (GPS), digital maps, and a wireless transceiver to provide fleet managers with information about their vehicles via the Internet.

eDispatch products enable clients to send detailed job information directly to and from any PC via the Internet to the display of their mobile workers’ portable wireless device. The products are marketed as bundled wireless solutions to subscribers of wireless data providers.