BelAir Networks Enables the U.K.'s Largest Outdoor Wireless Broadband City; Wide-area Bristol Wireless Network Supports Municipal Video and Public Data Applications.KANATA, Ontario Kanata is a large suburban area in the western part of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,it has a population of 90,000 and is growing rapidly. It is located just to the west of the Greenbelt and is one of the largest of several communities that surround central Ottawa. -- Citizens, visitors and local government workers in Bristol, England are enjoying wireless broadband High-speed wireless transmission of data. What is "high" speed is always a changing number. Wireless systems are typically slower than land-based, wireline networks. In the past, wireless broadband started at 250 Kbps, whereas land-based broadband was generally considered to start at T1 services on the U.K.'s largest wireless hot zone, which is built with BelAir Networks wide-area wireless networking See wireless network. equipment. Known as "StreetNet" the Bristol network has been live since November 2004. It stretches from the top of Park Street down to St. Augustine's Parade, the Watershed and some surrounding key roads--approximately three kilometres squared--and supports multiple public and municipal networks and applications. The network is built with BelAir200 Wireless Multi-service Switch Routers See layer 3 switch. to provide 'always-on' access to the Internet and email and allow for council and city workers to access private networks (VPNs) while working on city streets. The network also provides wireless connectivity for CCTV CCTV abbr. closed-circuit television CCTV closed-circuit television , allowing cameras to be deployed around street events and for general security surveillance. The Bristol network was conceived by Bristol City Council in partnership with Cityspace, the UK's leading provider of outdoor urban digital networks. Cityspace is a BelAir solution provider. BelAir and Cityspace recently collaborated to create "The Technology Mile, London's biggest outdoor Wi-Fi network See wireless Ethernet and 802.11. in the London Borough of Islington The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in North London and Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. . "The Bristol Hot Zone is truly the UK's first comprehensive outdoor wireless broadband service and can also act as a showcase for cities wanting to deploy robust outdoor broadband solutions," says Marc Meyohas, Chief Executive of Cityspace. "It marks a milestone in the evolution of communication and information technology; taking it out of the restrictive office and home environments and truly integrating it into people's lives. "BelAir was the ideal technology partner for this deployment and for our rapidly expanding UK urban digital networks. BelAir offers the most flexible design in wireless switch routers, which allows us to easily and painlessly pain·less adj. Free from complication or pain: a painless operation. pain  less·ly adv. expand our wireless network as required. In addition, the BelAir solution delivers the high bandwidth needed to handle multiple broadband applications and networks." "With this network, Cityspace has created a perfect example of how a wireless broadband network can be delivered to meet needs of citizens and local Government," said Phil Belanger, Vice-president of Marketing for BelAir Networks. "Bristol City Council and Cityspace have demonstrated that cooperation between municipalities and service providers can be effective in delivering a metro wireless network that supports the applications required today and is flexible enough to accommodate future expansion." The Bristol Hot Zone received the award for the 'Best Enterprise Deployment for the Public Sector' in this year's Wireless Broadband Innovation Awards which recognize leadership, excellence and innovation in the field of Wi-Fi and mobile data. The prestigious awards were presented at the U.K.'s biggest wireless show, the annual Wireless LAN A local area network that transmits over the air typically in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz unlicensed frequency band. It does not require line of sight between sender and receiver. Wireless base stations (access points) are wired to an Ethernet network and transmit a radio frequency over an area Event which highlights the latest products and pioneering public access services for broadband wireless See wireless broadband. internet. The BelAir200 units deployed in Bristol are four-radio wireless switch routers that are built specifically for outdoor deployments. Each BelAir200 includes an access radio module that uses the 2.4 GHz band to support Wi-Fi client access. The access radio and integrated antennas project Wi-Fi signals over wide areas at street level; or directly into multi-story buildings from the outside, eliminating the need for indoor access points. Every BelAir200 can also be configured with up to three separate 5 GHz backhaul radio modules. These radios and their associated antennas are used to connect multiple BelAir systems in a wireless backhaul mesh that delivers client traffic to and from the Internet. The resulting system provides unmatched capacity, security and scalability for large-scale wireless applications. The BelAir200 is engineered for wide-area Wi-Fi today, but the modular system design and the unique multi-radio mesh architecture can also be applied to other wireless technologies such as WiMAX and cellular. The BelAir200 is packaged in a small, environmentally-hardened enclosure designed to be mounted on light poles in parking lots or city streets, or directly on buildings. About Cityspace Cityspace is a UK-based technology company, which provides urban digital networks in partnership with local authorities. It is the market leader in outdoor communication and information networks through its pioneering product and service portfolio of iPlus Points, StreetNet wireless broadband, and intelligent transport systems. The company's flagship product A primary product of a company, which is typically why the company was founded and/or what made it well known. For example, MS-DOS, Windows and the Microsoft Office suite have been flagship products of Microsoft. CorelDRAW is a flagship product of Corel Corporation. , the iPlus Points, is now in some of the UK's landmark cities, featuring compelling content, such as freemail and BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. News, iPlus networks help Local Authorities to deliver on e-Government directives by providing information, communication and Internet access See how to access the Internet. to all. Cityspace delivers wireless outdoor broadband hot zones through StreetNet, its wireless broadband product and provides intelligent transport systems through its dedicated travel services division. Cityspace has developed urban digital networks across a number of London boroughs
About BelAir Networks BelAir Networks is the first company to offer scalable, wide-area wireless broadband solutions with the highest quality for data, voice and video. BelAir's wireless networking solutions are built on the only multi-service architecture for wide-area wireless broadband deployments of Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and 3G Cellular networks. Built specifically for outdoor deployments, BelAir Networks' patented solution delivers the lowest cost per user and deploys in days, blending into the physical infrastructure of downtown business districts, hotels and resorts, and college campuses. Founded in 2001, BelAir Networks is a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. headquartered in Kanata, Ontario. For more information, please visit www.belairnetworks.com. |
|
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion