ICOA Acquires AuthDirect to Integrate Final Component of Total Wi-Fi Value Chain WARWICK, R.I., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ICOA, Inc. (OTC:ICOA) (BULLETIN BOARD: ICOA) , a leading provider of neutral-host wireless broadband Internet networks and managed services in airports, restaurants and marinas, announced today that it has acquired AuthDirect, Inc., a privately held San Jose, CA company that provides flexible and customized service management platforms for Wi-Fi hotspot service providers and operators. ICOA EVP Rick Schiffmann said, "The acquisition of AuthDirect cements ICOA's strategy to be a fully integrated neutral-host supplier of end-to-end Wi-Fi services. The AuthDirect acquisition adds a full suite of back-end OSS/AAA managed services to our existing capabilities in site surveys, site architecture, procurement, installation, branded in-venue marketing, roaming, maintenance and 24/7 customer support of turn-key neutral-host broadband wireless services. AuthDirect's OSS platform is best in class, is scalable and will support the evolution of this emerging industry." AuthDirect's industry-leading service management platform, TollBooth(TM), includes total customized branding, credit card merchant gateway integration and flexibility to incorporate access control devices from over 15 hardware manufacturers. Over the last year, AuthDirect's service management platform powered McDonald's restaurant hotspots and provided value-added management services for Barnes & Noble, Tully's Coffee and Taco Bell hotspots managed by Cometa Networks. ICOA CEO George Strouthopoulos said, "This acquisition significantly enhances our offerings, strengthens our operational leverage and creates a robust solution of integrated services to current and new customers. We warmly welcome the addition of the AuthDirect team to the ICOA family." AuthDirect Co-Founder and CEO Kevin Quaintance said, "AuthDirect was approached by numerous suitors within the rapidly growing broadband wireless industry who recognized the superior value of our platform. We look forward to working with ICOA's world-class team and contributing our platform to ICOA's rapidly growing national infrastructure, as well as its well established network operating center (NOC) and its sales, marketing and capital facilities." Effective immediately, AuthDirect will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of ICOA, Inc. AuthDirect's OSS/AAA platform, TollBooth(TM) will be offered as a stand-alone product, but will also power all ICOA customer solutions in airport, restaurant, marina, convention center, hospitality and Metro Hot Zone verticals. About AuthDirect AuthDirect, Inc. (http://www.authdirect.com/) provides powerful, scalable and tailorable service management and billing services products to customers, carriers and wireless operators in the global hotspot market. TollBooth(TM), the company's premier product, eliminates the three main stumbling blocks to hotspot proliferation -- hardware costs, infrastructure costs and closed proprietary solutions. About ICOA, Inc. ICOA, Inc., (OTC:ICOA) (BULLETIN BOARD: ICOA) located in Warwick, RI, is a leading provider of neutral-host wireless and wired broadband Internet networks in high traffic public locations. ICOA, Inc. provides design, installation, operations, maintenance and management of neutral, common-use 802.11x standard WLAN Wi-Fi Hotspot and Hot Zone infrastructure throughout airport facilities, quick service restaurants, marinas and hospitality locations, as well as high-speed Internet terminals (WebCenter3000(TM)). ICOA currently operates or manages over 410 installations serving more than 20 million patrons, including 325 Panera Bread locations, the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Spokane International Airport (GEG), the Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana Airport (BTR), Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Manchester Airport (MHT), Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), Fresno-Yosemite International Airport (FYI), 34 marinas in California and Rhode Island's Newport Harbor 'Hot Zone.' For additional information, please visit http://www.icoacorp.com/ . An investment profile about ICOA may be found online at http://www.hawkassociates.com/icoa/profile.htm For more information, contact John Balbach at 415-776-6695. For investor relations information, contact Frank Hawkins or Julie Marshall, Hawk Associates, at (305) 852-2383, email: . Detailed information about ICOA, Inc. can be found on the website http://www.icoacorp.com/. An online investor kit containing ICOA press releases, SEC filings, current price Level II quotes, interactive Java stock charts and other useful information for investors can be found at http://www.hawkassociates.com/ and http://www.hawkmicrocaps.com/ . The foregoing contains "forward-looking statements" which are based on management's beliefs as well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events and information currently available to management. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside ICOA's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. For a more detailed description of the factors that could cause such a difference, please see ICOA's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ICOA disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This information is presented solely to provide additional information to further understand the results of ICOA. DATASOURCE: ICOA, Inc. CONTACT: John Balbach, +1-415-776-6695, for ICOA, Inc.; or for investor relations information, Frank Hawkins or Julie Marshall, both of Hawk Associates, +1-305-852-2383, or , for ICOA, Inc. Web site: http://www.icoacorp.com/ http://www.authdirect.com/ http://www.hawkassociates.com/ http://www.hawkassociates.com/icoa/profile.htm http://www.hawkmicrocaps.com/

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