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Citywide Outdoor Wireless Networks Gain Momentum
Rapid Growth in Outdoor Muni Wireless Deployments Fuels Demand Across North America
| Source: Cisco Systems
SAN JOSE, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- November 14, 2006 -- On the heels of its 1,500 square mile Silicon
Valley win -- the largest outdoor U.S. wireless win to date -- Cisco®
(NASDAQ : CSCO ) today announced that eight additional North American cities
have selected Cisco's outdoor wireless mesh solution as the foundation to
their municipal wireless networks. The city of Fredericton, New Brunswick;
Gilroy, Calif.; Greensboro, N.C.; Kitchener, Ontario; Santa Rosa, Calif.;
Upper Merion Township, Pa., Waterloo, Ontario, and Winston-Salem, N.C. are
all moving forward with citywide, outdoor wireless deployments powered by
Cisco.
These deployments are indicative of the fast-growing market for outdoor
wireless services and support Infonetics' research that estimates a
five-year compound annual growth rate of 105 percent for mesh networking
worldwide by 2009.
"The possibilities of citywide wireless mesh networking are nearly
limitless," said Stu Wilson, vice president at Atria Networks. "By
integrating Cisco's wired and wireless solutions as part of a citywide
network, Atria Networks is able to help cities improve efficiencies, reduce
operational costs, and help bridge digital divides."
Atria Networks, a service provider based in Canada that recently deployed
wireless mesh in regions around Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph, Ontario, has
experienced a substantial uptake in its subscriber base as part of the
numerous benefits that outdoor wireless brings to cities, their businesses
and residents.
Outdoor Wireless Mesh Market Dynamics
As common usage models have become more prevalent, large and small cities
alike recognize the numerous benefits of municipal wireless networking.
In many municipal deployments, a primary application is to deliver city
services that help to enable workers, such as emergency first responders,
to connect remotely from field locations. This allows fire fighters, police
officers and EMT personnel to improve response times by quickly connecting
to the city network from various locations.
Cities can also reduce operational costs by using their municipal networks
to increase efficiencies. "With mobile tools and field reporting using
wireless, this will be a big step in the evolution of efficiency," said Tom
Oliver, information service manager for the city of Lebanon, Oregon. "If a
public works maintenance crew needs to fix a shut off valve, they can see
in real time where it is below the ground. With aerial photos and line
work, such as pipes, there is a lot of visual material that requires the
bandwidth that the mesh network can provide."
Another application that is fueling citywide wireless deployments is
digital inclusion -- the concept of creating a network that ensures
constituents have access to Internet applications regardless of social or
economic status. Working with OneCommunity, a nonprofit organization, the
city of Cleveland has strengthened its communities by linking residents to
their local wireless network. This network gives residents access to
health, safety and job information, as well as other city information
sources.
"Just as wireless grew from the home to the enterprise, we now see cities
adopting municipal service networks by utilizing Wi-Fi technology," said
Alan S. Cohen, senior director, Mobility Solutions at Cisco Systems.
"Because these networks are standards-based, it appeals to the largest
majority of users and applications. 802.11-based outdoor networks provide a
platform for today's needs and tomorrow's endeavors."
Cisco ServiceMesh Sparks Outdoor Wireless Adoption
Transforming communities with outdoor wireless goes far beyond providing
wireless Internet access. Cities are consistently moving away from
purchasing and running municipal Wi-Fi networks, opting instead to
outsource network management and operation to wireless and wireline service
providers. To address this trend, Cisco offers Cisco ServiceMesh, an
integrated solution for enabling service providers to deliver outdoor
wireless as a managed service. Service providers including Atria Networks,
Cellnet, DHB Networks and MetroConnect are leading examples of service
provider deployments of Cisco ServiceMesh within local municipalities.
With Cisco as a technology partner, municipalities gain the ability to use
low-cost 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g technologies for high-speed,
ubiquitous access, single security and management framework from client to
the network core. Municipalities also gain the flexibility to easily add
multiple applications to the network without needing to integrate many
different software and hardware products. Centralized network management of
APs reduces operational expenses and allows cities to reduce the time to
market of their wireless services. RF management expertise from the
worldwide leader in wireless enterprise networks helps smooth out the
wireless environment and improve reliability of the network.
Complementary to Cisco's Unified Wireless Network, Cisco outdoor wireless
solutions allow local government, public safety, and transit agencies to
extend their existing wired network-oriented services and applications
beyond their current physical infrastructures, offering innovative new ways
to accelerate communications and service delivery to both employees and
citizens.
More information about Cisco's outdoor wireless mesh solutions can be found
at: www.cisco.com/go/wirelessmesh.
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