MobileAccess Unveils Wi-Fi Solution for Robust and Reliable In-Building Coverage

VIENNA, Va., July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- MobileAccess Networks, a leading provider of in-building wireless network solutions, announced today the latest addition to the MobileAccess family of in-building wireless solutions: the MobileAccess MA-850 Intelligent RF Switching Hub. The MA-850 dramatically improves the maintainability and reliability of enterprise Wi-Fi networks, ensuring support for current and future business-critical wireless data and voice applications. The MA-850 is available for immediate delivery.

According to IDC research in December 2003, approximately 75 percent of U.S. enterprises will have deployed Wi-Fi networks by the end of 2004. These business users will demand the same level of connectivity from Wi-Fi as they have enjoyed with their wired networks, so enterprise IT managers must implement future-proof in-building wireless infrastructures.
However, conventional Wi-Fi implementations do not scale well and can be difficult to maintain. To provide adequate signal coverage, IT managers must deploy IEEE 802.11 Access Points (APs) throughout the enterprise, even in areas with light usage, resulting in high initial expenses for under-utilized capacity. Mounted high on ceilings and walls, large populations of APs are burdensome to maintain, driving up operational expenses, and their public exposure presents a significant security risk. Moreover, conventional Wi-Fi implementations are Wi-Fi only, and future wireless voice or high-speed data services would require a completely separate or "parallel" solution for in- building distribution.
"Today we are seeing the same in-building coverage and reliability issues with Wi-Fi networks that we saw a few years ago with cellular phones and, more recently, with other wireless-enabled handheld devices such as BlackBerries and PDAs," stated Cathy Zatloukal, President and CEO of MobileAccess. "Wireless connectivity inside buildings will continue to be a major problem simply because high frequency radio waves do not propagate easily through typical building materials. In order to fully realize the UnWired Workplace(TM), wireless voice and data connectivity must provide reliability equal to, if not better than, today's wired connections for our desktop PCs."
MobileAccess has deployed hundreds of in-building cellular voice and data networks around the world. Leveraging its RF expertise, MobileAccess developed the MA-850, unlocking a new Wi-Fi architecture that enables IT managers to deploy enterprise-scale Wi-Fi networks that are more flexible and maintainable than with conventional approaches. The MA-850 can be deployed as a standalone Wi-Fi solution, or it can be connected into existing MobileAccess in-building cellular implementations, enabling the same broadband network to simultaneously support both wireless voice and data applications.
"The MobileAccess solution offers a unique modular solution that supports all in-building wireless voice and data applications over a single broadband backbone. What's interesting is the fact that only passive, un-powered antennas are used in the public domain while all the active components, such as Wireless LAN Access Points, are kept in the wiring closet," said Dave Passmore, Research Director, The Burton Group. "Robust in-building wireless coverage will be critical as we see new wireless applications evolve and mature, especially voice over Wi-Fi where wireless network reliability will be critical for enterprise adoption."
About MobileAccess MA-850 Intelligent RF Switching Hub
In an MA-850 Wi-Fi implementation, passive broadband antennas provide the Wi-Fi signal coverage while APs are used only to provide capacity. By decoupling "coverage" from "capacity," the MA-850 enables a fundamentally new Wi-Fi architecture in which the active APs can be clustered together in secure telecom closets. As IT managers have already learned from managing their LANs, this clustering ability yields Wi-Fi infrastructures that are more secure and more cost-effective to maintain than with conventional Wi-Fi approaches.
The MA-850 supports advanced RF features that enable more flexible and future-proof Wi-Fi implementations. With an embedded RF switching matrix, the MA-850 enables a "Pay-As-You-Grow" capability that can minimize the number of required APs, significantly reducing cost. With the MA-850's integral multi- service support, IT managers can use their Wi-Fi infrastructure to simultaneously support any future mix of wireless services. The MA-850 is complementary with all third-party Wi-Fi solutions supporting the IEEE 802.11a/b/g standards, enabling it to readily integrate into any Wi-Fi environment.
The MobileAccess MA-850 enables IT managers to deploy enterprise-class Wi- Fi infrastructures that can readily adapt to accommodate unforeseen future wireless service requirements.
About MobileAccess Networks
MobileAccess Networks (http://www.mobileaccess.com/) is a leading developer of in-building wireless solutions for corporate enterprises and wireless service providers. The MobileAccess Product Family leverages patented techniques for the transmission of Radio Frequency signals over optical fibers. MobileAccess products guarantee business-quality performance and reliability for all current and future wireless services, including cellular voice, Wi-Fi and public safety, throughout large buildings and campus environments. With hundreds of networks installed worldwide, MobileAccess Networks UnWires the Workplace with cost-effective, scalable solutions that deliver superior wireless coverage for all data and voice applications. Founded in 1998, MobileAccess Networks provides in-building wireless solutions to AT&T Wireless, Verizon, Sprint PCS, Nextel, Cingular, T-Mobile, Partner, Deutsche Telecom, France Telecom, Orange, Cellcom and DutchTone. High profile customers include U.S. House of Representatives, Ft. Lauderdale Airport, American Family Insurance, American University, Red Cross and many others.
MobileAccess Networks

CONTACT: John Conrad of Merritt Group Public Relations, +1-703-556-6824,or conrad@merrittgrp.com, for MobileAccess Networks

Web site: http://www.mobileaccess.com/

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