Wifi Revolution

Citymesh bvba -- a Strix Systems (News - Alert) premier partner founded by Mitch De Geest, Frederik Demets, Peter-Jan Pertry, Sven de Brabander and Freek Pauwels specializing in the design and deployment of large-scale wireless mesh networks -- has deployed Strix's Access/One Network Outdoor System (OWS) for what would be Belgium's first city-wide wireless mesh network in the city of Blankenberge.

Blankenberge is an international European refuge is known for its long sandy beach lined with cafes, bars, restaurants, shops and the casinos. The 17.41 km² area has a total population of over 20,000 full time residents and over 150,000 visitors during the summer months.

The network mesh covers the city center, promenade, harbor, surrounding camp areas and provides wireless internet access to all tourists, residents and businesses. Deployment time was reportedly less than two months. The city-wide network also serves to make timely, any-time access to the Internet and business resources available over the entire Flemish region. Similar networks are under construction in other cities, municipalities and private domains across Europe.

Mitch De Geest, CEO of Citymesh, said in a press release: “With Strix Access/One product we immediately realized there were no network or performance limitations.”

And Matt Holdrege, director of international strategic sales for Strix Systems, said: “Citymesh's Blankenberge deployment is an excellent example for Europe, with a great deal of customer opportunity and the innovative thinking that drives users to their network.”

Citymesh, a vision of Fientje Moerman, the vice-minister president of the Flemish Government (and Flemish Minister for Economy, Enterprise, Science, Innovation and Foreign Trade) was recently recognized by the IWT (Institute for innovation via Science and Technique) for its “innovative contributions to the Flemish region.”

There were two phases of deployment: The first one covering standard WiFi laptops and PDAs enabling user access to the Internet, and a second phase interconnecting other cities to the Blankenberge mesh network.

Strix Systems products and services are available worldwide through a premium partner ecosystem of distributors, service providers, resellers and systems integrators. Access/One solutions have been deployed in hundreds of networks worldwide, outdoor and indoor, for service providers, metros, public safety, government, energy, manufacturing, transportation, hospitality, education, enterprises, and residential markets.

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Calvin Azuri is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

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