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Feb 24 2006

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 23, 2006--Digital Fountain, Inc., the world's pre-eminent supplier of FEC (forward error correction) technology for reliable communications, announced today that Modeo(TM) LLC, a subsidiary of Crown Castle International Corp., is the newest licensee of Digital Fountain's patented DF Raptor(TM) forward error correction (FEC) technology. Modeo plans to incorporate Digital Fountain's DF Raptor FEC technology in its DVB-H broadcast network file delivery service.
 

Modeo is currently working on the deployment of a dedicated multi-channel DVB-H network in the top 30 U.S. markets to broadcast high-quality digital television content to PDAs, mobile phones, and other suitable wireless devices. DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) is an open, non-proprietary global industry standard for the delivery of mobile broadcast digital services to handheld devices that has been formally standardized by the Digital Video Broadcasting Project (DVB) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). With DVB-H, consumers will be able to enjoy sports, news, entertainment, animation, music, and other programming direct to their mobile devices. DVB-H delivers content both as streams for real-time entertainment and as file downloads, or "podcasts," for use at the subscriber's convenience.

Digital Fountain's DF Raptor technology is an advanced and highly flexible FEC that enables the efficient and error-free download of multimedia data files in the presence of a wide range of network impairments. DF Raptor FEC has been standardized by DVB as part of IP datacasting services over DVB-H and by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) as a component of the Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) for GSM-based 3G cellular networks. As part of its overall network architecture, Modeo plans to employ Digital Fountain's optimized implementation of the DF Raptor FEC and the Digital Fountain(TM) DVB-H File Delivery Engine technology, a standards-compliant software implementation of the DVB-H file download protocol.

"We expect the download of podcasts and multimedia content to be an exciting part of our service offerings because it allows subscribers to view content on their schedule," said Michael Schueppert, President of Modeo. "Moreover, Digital Fountain's FEC technology enhances the effective coverage of our network without requiring additional buildout, simultaneously enhancing both our cost efficiency and the quality of our service."

"We believe Modeo will pioneer the highest quality broadcast mobile multimedia deployment in the U.S.," added Charlie Oppenheimer, President and CEO of Digital Fountain. "We are excited to have Modeo's endorsement of the value of DF Raptor technology for these new mobile wireless services."

About Modeo

Modeo is a subsidiary of Crown Castle International Corp. Modeo plans to deliver a rich media service composed of live TV channels, audio channels, and podcasting content over its planned DVB-H network to a variety of mobile devices in the top 30 markets in the United States. For more information on Modeo, please visit www.modeo.com.

About Digital Fountain

Based in Fremont, California, Digital Fountain develops and licenses advanced FEC (forward error correction) technology to enhance the quality of communications over data networks. Digital Fountain's patented DF Raptor(TM) FEC technology improves multimedia streaming quality, ensures timely delivery of data, and enables the creation and development of new communications services. DF Raptor FEC is used today in a variety of enterprise, military, and consumer devices and applications, supporting both wired and wireless telecommunications networks. For more information, visit Digital Fountain's Web site at www.digitalfountain.com.