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WiMAX beats time-to-market challenges for sporting event broadband
On-Communications UK hones market niche with broadband access services for festivals and stadiums.
Visitors to this month's World Cycling Championships at the Manchester Velodrome will be able to access high-speed wireless internet access (Wi-Fi) through a special 'Hot Zone' covering the entire sporting arena. The Wi-Fi coverage, provided by On-Communications and BT Openzone, will enable teams, their supporters and attending media to stay connected to email, the web and their company network.
All velodrome data and Wi-Fi traffic will be routed to the Internet via On-Communications Fixed Wireless Access service. The service uses Airspan 802.16-2004 radios operating in the light-licensed 5.8 GHz frequency band. The addition of private and public Wi-Fi access throughout the entire velodrome is one of the first permanent arena or stadium installations in the UK. The guaranteed performance service features a 'burst' capability to provide extra bandwidth during peak periods at the end of heats and races as international journalists rush to file reports and photographs.
Fixed wireless access creates temporary or permanent network access in support of festivals, tournaments, and events where people congregate. On-Communications recently deployed WiMAX connectivity to the Manchester Evening News Arena, one of Europe's largest indoor arenas and recently voted 'The Most Popular Entertainment Venue on the Planet'. Two temporary pools filled with two million liters of water will be created in the arena for the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships in April. "Stadiums have a consistent requirement for broadband," notes Ian Roberts, CEO of On-Communications. "Sporting events provide good additional business opportunities when they come into your network coverage area." The WiMAX technologies are equally well-suited to bring Wi-Fi access to time-based events, such as pop concerts at London's historic Hyde Park.
The public Wi-Fi hot zones provide venue-wide coverage across all public areas, conference and press rooms at the site. On-Communications also provides separate private wireless VLANs for the event's organizers and facility personnel.
On-Communications is focused on business-to-business broadband services. All of the operator's broadband wireless deployments utilize 5.8 GHz spectrum. A broad portfolio of vendor equipment is at its disposal including Airspan, Aperto, and Redline. The company is developing plans for a UK-wide metropolitan fixed wireless network to be readied over the next 3 years. The expansion is expected to be a combination of organic market growth and strategic acquisition. The company recently acquired IP-NET from Networks by Wireless and the FWA infrastructure of CI-Net's RedKite, both in the UK.
By Jeff Orr
ORR Technology LLC
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