“The People’s Network” Powered with Robust Direct Connections Between Android Devices

San Francisco, USA - February 18, 2016 - Open Garden Inc. announced today that it is adopting ANT wireless technology, which will be available in the new release of its flagship mobile app, FireChat. FireChat is the first “off the grid” mobile app that enables people to communicate for free, even if they do not have access to the Internet, a cellular network, or a data plan.

ANT is an ultra low power (ULP) wireless networking protocol that enables direct connections between devices. ANT can be found in everything from fitness sensors to apps and consumer devices, including over 200 million mobile devices, such as Samsung and Sony smartphones.

FireChat allows people and communities to create their own free communications networks thanks to its unique peer-to-peer mesh networking technology. In order to significantly enhance direct connections between Android smartphones, FireChat now uses the ANT protocol, in addition to Bluetooth and peer-to-peer WiFi.

“More than five billion new mobile devices are expected to reach the market within the next three years. Yet in most countries, people can barely afford to pay for a data plan or credits. It is not surprising that more and more people are using FireChat in countries such as India, Malaysia, Mexico, and the Philippines,” said Christophe Daligault, CMO of Open Garden. “To enable free communications in these countries, robust and seamless direct connectivity between Android mobile devices is critical. This is precisely what ANT helps us accomplish.”

“Our technology solution is perfectly suited for cutting-edge applications such as FireChat,” said James Fujimoto, director of ANT Wireless. “It’s great to see how Open Garden is taking advantage of ANT’s ultra-low power (ULP) practical wireless networking capabilities to pioneer innovation in wireless technology.”

FireChat is a free mobile application available at http://opengarden.com/firechat/
For more information about ANT Wireless, please visit http://www.thisisant.com. Additionally, For more information on ANT Wireless at MWC 2016, visit Hall 7, Booth M49.

About ANT Wireless
ANT is an established protocol and silicon solution for ultra-low power (ULP) practical wireless networking applications. With over 200 million devices in the market, ANT+ facilitates interoperability between ANT+ products, devices and sensors. This standardized communication platform enables quick-to-market solutions for application developers, sensor manufacturers, and cell phone makers. ANT+ has amassed an ecosystem of world-class technology vendors in the ANT+ Alliance. These industry leaders offer readily-available brand name products for sport, wellness management and home health monitoring.  Visit thisisant.com/directory for a complete listing of ANT+ certified and verified products.

The company behind ANT Wireless is Dynastream Innovations Inc, a world innovator in the research and development of inertial and wireless technology. Established in 1998 in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, Dynastream became a wholly owned subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. in December 2006.

About Open Garden & FireChat
Open Garden Inc. is a San Francisco-based startup dedicated to connecting the next 5 billion mobile devices with peer-to-peer connections. Open Garden won an Innovation Award at SXSW 2015. FireChat is the first messaging app that works-off-the-grid. FireChat is free and available for iOS and Android devices. Launched in March 2014, FireChat has reached the top 10 amongst social networking apps in 124 countries around the world. For more information about how FireChat works, watch this short video.

Press Contacts:
ANT Wireless: [email protected]
Open Garden: [email protected]

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