HOUSTON, Oct. 4, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE:CCI) announced today that one of its subsidiaries has initiated construction of a distributed antenna system (DAS) for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Crown Castle has also entered into an agreement to deploy additional system nodes at the nearby historic College of William and Mary. A distributed antenna system is a network of antennas connected by fiber to a communications hub designed to facilitate wireless communications services for multiple operators. When completed, the projects are expected to improve wireless service for guests and staff throughout Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area, local hotel properties and Merchants Square, as well as for students, faculty and visitors of the College of William and Mary.
The distributed antenna system was selected as the preferred network solution since aesthetics and the historic experience are of paramount importance to the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area and the nearby College of William and Mary. The system being deployed utilizes existing infrastructure for antenna placement, including rooftops, the cupolas of historic buildings and a light pole at the college's football stadium. In addition, two stealth flagpole antenna locations are planned for construction. "Crown Castle is dedicated to providing wireless communication operators with complete solutions and support, so a distributed antenna system is a natural extension of our core business," stated Pat Slowey, Crown Castle's Senior Vice President – Sales and Customer Relations.
Colonial Williamsburg welcomes more than 1.7 million guests a year, and reliable wireless communication reception is essential to meet the demands of conference planners and guests. "For venues and destinations such as Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area, aesthetics play an important role in the visitor experience," stated Mr. Slowey, "With thousands of visitors and conventioneers expecting reliable voice and data coverage every day, the distributed antenna system enables us to solve a modern day problem in a colonial setting. Further, we understand the College of William and Mary's need to provide reliable wireless voice and data service to its students, faculty and visitors. The system we plan to deploy provides a coverage solution that does not compromise the beauty of the campus."
About Crown Castle
Crown Castle owns, operates, and leases towers and other infrastructure for wireless communications. Crown Castle offers significant wireless communications coverage to 92 of the top 100 U.S. markets and to substantially all of the Australian population. Crown Castle owns, operates and manages over 22,000 and approximately 1,600 wireless communication sites in the U.S. and Australia, respectively. For more information on Crown Castle, please visit www.crowncastle.com.
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About The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the not-for-profit educational and cultural organization that preserves and operates the restored 18th-century Revolutionary capital of Virginia as a town-sized living history museum, telling the inspirational stories of our nation's founding men and women. Williamsburg is located in Virginia's Tidewater region, 20 minutes from Newport News, within an hour's drive of Richmond and Norfolk, and 150 miles south of Washington, DC, off Interstate 64.