Babson College and Cellular Specialties Pave Way for New Student and Faculty Cellphone Emergency Notification System
Innovative IT Solution Deployed Without the Use of Additional Cell Towers
MANCHESTER, NH--(Marketwire - February 24, 2009) - Cellular Specialties, Inc. (CSI), a
recognized leader in the design and implementation of in-building wireless
products and solutions, today announced Babson College has selected the
company to boost cell phone service across its 370 acre campus without
erecting a cell phone tower.
Located in Wellesley, MA, Babson College prides itself on offering an
advanced IT infrastructure that scales across its expansive grounds for use
by nearly 2,500 graduate and undergraduate students as well as 600 faculty
and staff. However, the college found it difficult to extend distant cell
tower signals to provide in-building reception, due to the campus
buildings' architecture as well as Wellesley's ban on erecting new cell
phone towers.
Daniel Tonelli, director, IT support services at Babson College elaborates
on why good cell phone service is important, "Incidents such as the 2007
Virginia Tech shootings have prompted colleges to deploy new systems for
disseminating public safety information via mass communications -- cell
phones are the best way to do it. One of the problems we faced when
attempting to send voicemail messages to a bunch of cell phones in the
residence halls was that it didn't get there. We needed at least two to
three bars of coverage for voice service."
Babson turned to CSI to help address the cell phone coverage issues. As the
only in-building wireless service organization approved by all of the major
wireless service providers, including Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint
Nextel, CSI was the only company that could facilitate the approval process
in a timely and cost-effective manner to pave the way for a mass
notification system. CSI used the college's existing fiber, allowing Babson
to save on installation costs. In the remaining coverage areas, CSI
installed the required fiber for the DAS solution as well as additional
fiber to accommodate Babson's future technology deployments. On the front
end, each service provider uses an off-air solution for the RF source which
ties into a single system architecture providing coverage.
Tonelli admits that the college did not have the skill-set or relationships
with all carriers to pull off the towerless cell coverage and credits CSI
for its services, "CSI sets up all the meetings with the carriers and gets
full approval for their projects. The carriers have faith in CSI and allow
them to tap into their networks. The carriers also know if something is
not working correctly at Babson College, they can rely on CSI's support.
It's just easier and more cost-effective than trying to do it on your own."
"Today, most colleges don't offer in-room telephone service; students just
expect their cell phones to work. Meeting these expectations and providing
in-building cell phone coverage -- without the aid of additional cell
towers -- is CSI's expertise," says Kelley Carr, CSI's president of the
Custom Solutions Group. "We are proud to be helping Babson College with
such a valuable service."
About CSI
CSI (Cellular Specialties, Inc.) is driven to be a world class organization
that delivers superior products and services enabling anytime, anywhere
in-building wireless connectivity. CSI has implemented thousands of turnkey
solutions throughout the country. Our consultative and product neutral
approach enables us to develop truly customized solutions for every client.
CSI also holds the distinction of being the only in-building wireless
service organization approved by all major wireless service providers in
the United States. For more information about CSI, please call (866)
670-2205 or visit www.csiwireless.com.