Wi-Fi Hotspots and Hotzones
Consumer and business demand for Wi-Fi access for video, voice and data applications continues to grow so telecom and cable companies continue to invest in Wi-Fi networks to address this demand. As both deployments and Wi-Fi applications have evolved, so too have expectations of the Wi-Fi technology. Once satisfied with traditional enterprise Wi-Fi access points (AP), carriers are now demanding carrier-grade equipment that delivers the performance and coverage their customers expect with the reliability, scalability, flexibility and back office integration that ensures both a smooth deployment and trouble-free network operation.
What’s fueling this market and why is BelAir Networks such a great fit?
Proliferation of Wi-Fi Devices
The proliferation of cool, new Wi-Fi enabled devices is certainly no secret. Apple’s Wi-Fi enabled iPhone raised the bar for product launches. RIM soon followed with a range of Wi-Fi enabled Blackberry’s and, T-Mobile introduced the first smartphone (Wi-Fi enabled, of course) based on the Google Android OS. Cumulative shipments of Wi-Fi chipsets hit the 1 billion mark in 2008 and are expected to reach a billion per year within a few years. In addition to smartphones, cameras and game consoles are also benefiting from Wi-Fi integration.
Competition Drives Customer Acquisition and Retention Strategies
With consumers, commuters and travelers of all ages increasingly carrying and depending on Wi-Fi enabled devices, laptops and notebooks, cable and telecom service providers are leveraging the added-value that out-of-home Wi-Fi access can cost-effectively deliver as a customer acquisition and retention tool. In 2008 alone, AT&T announced that it was expanding its free Wi-Fi service to all of the company’s consumer broadband customers and leading cable operator, Cablevision, started rolling out free Wi-Fi in Long Island for their high-speed internet customers.
BelAir Networks -- Fit for Carriers
As Glenn Fleishman noted in ars techica: “BelAir Networks is known for powering the biggest public WiFi networks in North America: Minneapolis, Toronto, and Cablevision's in-progress New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut network for its cable data subscribers.” BelAir Networks delivers the industry’s only true carrier-grade Wi-Fi products. There are certainly a number of manufactures who provide ‘ruggedized’ versions of enterprise gear, but only BelAir Networks products have been built to carrier-grade specifications from the ground up. BelAir Networks intelligent Wi-Fi nodes utilize a distributed architecture to enable seamless integration with the carrier’s back office and ease of management. Driven by the BelAirOS operating system, the nodes employ a patented switched mesh architecture to deliver the industry’s highest performance – and maintain this performance as the wireless network expands – to support even the most demanding applications including carrier-grade voice and high resolution video.
BelAir gear has been proven in the harshest environments from the extreme cold of Alaska to the arid heat of Arizona and in the salty dampness of the maritime environment on both coasts. And BelAir provides carriers with the deployment and operational flexibility they need with a variety of mounting options (pole, building, strand, roof, wall, ceiling, strand), wireline interfaces to integrate with all carrier networks (including fiber, copper, DOCSIS and T1), and a broad range of licensed and license-free spectrum supported alone or in any combination (including Wi-Fi, WiMAX, 5GHz, 5.9GHZ, 4.9GHz and 4.4GHz).
Perhaps equally important is the fact that a BelAir Networks deployment can deliver more than 60% CAPEX savings compared to traditional Wi-Fi AP installations, because BelAir Networks provides the performance and coverage with less equipment, wiring, labor and time to deploy. Of course, less equipment to operate and manage also means lower OPEX. So, carriers can spend the time and money they save by choosing BelAir Networks on more important things, like customers.