Wifi Revolution

BelAir Networks reportedly has announced the new BelAir20 Access Point (News - Alert), which the company says will help service providers capitalize on the growing demand for WiFi access.

 

As the craze to access internet without the bond of wires increases, services such as WiFi (News - Alert) are more in demand. Mobile workers need to access important documents from anywhere on the move to keep in touch with their companies.

 

A press report by BelAir Networks quotes IDC, which says, “WiFi is set to take off in mobile handsets with dual-mode phones that provide both conventional cellular and WLAN connectivity.” Also, ABI Research said that more than a billion WiFi chipsets will ship during 2011 alone. All the predictions have alerted service providers to take notice and cater to rising demand in the WiFi market.

 

According to BelAir, the BelAir20 AP – pictured right – enables hosted software based control that lowers network CapEx by 30 percent. It also provides other benefits such as service provisioning and bundling, ease deployment and operation, and reduction in network commissioning and upgrade costs.

 

“Many projects require a blend of indoor and outdoor coverage and our telecom and cable customers want to be able to offer coverage that’s seamless for their customer but also seamless in an operational sense,” said Stephen Rayment, chief technical officer at BelAir Networks. “It’s not nearly enough to just deliver an 802.11n AP - it also has to be incredibly easy for the service provider to deploy, operate and monetize.”

 

According to BelAir, the company’s new product also reduces the cost of accessing WiFi on moving vehicles. The BelAir20 AP, configurable with wired or wireless backhaul, or as a bridge from outside in, works well with the company’s portfolio of outdoor WiFi nodes. This allows service providers to provide seamless mobile coverage inside and outdoors, says the company.

 

In August this year, a market research firm named BelAir Networks as the wireless mesh node market leader for the fourth quarter. The firm stated that BelAir occupied the top position among wireless mesh providers, on both revenue as well as units shipped.

 

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