SouthernLINC - Press Releases

Dothan Schools and SouthernLINC Wireless Team Up to Create Customized Tracking System for Busses

Dothan City Schools are first in Alabama to utilize iTRAK Fleet Manager^™

ATLANTA – April 26, 2007 – SouthernLINC Wireless®, a Southern Company (NYSE: SO), today announced that it has been selected as the official communications partner for City of Dothan, Ala., public schools.  Through this partnership, SouthernLINC Wireless is installing more than 100 iTRAK™GPS devices on school buses, as well as providing 150 SouthernLINC Wireless phones to school officials and drivers. 

The iTRAK Fleet Manager™ program is the first-of-its-kind installed in an Alabama public school system.  The hardware solution provides real-time location and route tracking to Dothan school officials.  Unlike GPS tracking systems that are installed in other commercial vehicles – like home service contractors or delivery trucks – the iTRAK software has the ability to recognize when a school bus door opens or closes.  A dedicated dispatch center can watch the progress of the buses and provide status updates to the city’s transportation manager, as well as principals and superintendents alike.    

"The iTRAK hardware installed by SouthernLINC Wireless allows the school system to monitor the bus fleet at all times and thus ensure the safety of our students which will always be our number one priority,” said Mike Manuel, chief financial officer of Dothan City Schools. “The program is also essential when planning for the upcoming school year to provide the most efficient route to and from school property and for locating a bus in an emergency situation.”

Additionally, all Dothan public school bus drivers are equipped with SouthernLINC Wireless phones. This ensures the drivers have a way to communicate with school officials at any point in time via SouthernLINC Wireless’ Push to Talk feature. Approximately 95 percent of other municipalities in and around Dothan and Houston County use SouthernLINC Wireless, meaning all parties have the ability to connect with each other at the touch of button.

“Considering SouthernLINC Wireless’ ongoing work with the State of Alabama and the City of Dothan, partnering with the Dothan City School District for communications needs is a natural fit,” said Bob Dawson, president and CEO of SouthernLINC Wireless.  “We’re pleased to be launching this pivotal program in Dothan’s school buses with iTRAK.  After all, it gives the city a convenient way to track buses and helps ensure the safety of everyone on-board.” 

This new partnership comes on the heels of SouthernLINC Wireless recently being selected as the official communications partner for the City of Dothan, Ala. Dothan’s public service departments – specifically police, fire and utilities – use SouthernLINC Wireless to stay connected. Additionally, in November 2006, SouthernLINC Wireless announced it was named the official communications partner for the entire State of Alabama. The deal solidifies a contract-based relationship that began in 1997.  

About SouthernLINC Wireless
SouthernLINC Wireless, a Southern Company (NYSE: SO), is an Atlanta-based regional wireless carrier covering the major metro and rural areas in Alabama, Georgia, southeastern Mississippi and northwest Florida. SouthernLINC Wireless bundles multiple communication options into one phone including push to talk, cellular service, text messaging, wireless Internet access and wireless data. More information about SouthernLINC Wireless can be obtained by calling 1-800-818-LINC (5462) or visiting the SouthernLINC Wireless Web site at www.southernlinc.com.

About Southern Company
With 4.3 million customers and more than 41,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast, one of America’s fastest-growing regions. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are significantly below the national average. Southern Company has received the highest ranking in customer satisfaction among U.S. electric service providers for seven consecutive years by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com.

About iTRAK Corporation
iTRAK Corporation (formerly Data Burst Technologies) was founded in 1995 as a developer of GPS-based wireless tracking systems. iTRAK Fleet Manager™, the company’s flagship product, is used by thousands of fleet managers throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The solution has been embraced by decision makers in diverse markets such as Construction Services, Plumbing/HVAC, Trucking, School Transportation, Electrical Contracting, Waste Disposal, and Public Safety. For more information, visit www.itrak.com.