Wifi Revolution

Cisco Systems announced that it has deployed a citywide WiFi (News - Alert) network in Dublin, Ohio. The project was kicked off by DHB Networks' service, an Ohio-based business offering which includes wireless broadband and fiber Internet services to municipalities, businesses and residents. The offering was selected by Cisco to provide outdoor technology for the WiFi deployment in Dublin.

The deal will enable DHB Networks to use Cisco's mesh technology as the network's wireless infrastructure to build an outdoor network which will be connected to DubLink, the city's existing fiber network system. DubLink serves as the mesh network backhaul.

The deal seems to surely benefit Dublin's police and municipal workers, who can use the dedicated wireless network bandwidth to access numerous applications, such as real-time police video monitoring, high-speed data access for police cruisers, mobility for first responders and mobile field inspection. DHB will also offer wholesale access agreements targeted at ISPs, so they can add services which use the mesh network.

“This municipal wireless deployment will allow residents, businesses and city employees of Dublin to have mobile access to the Internet,” said Dublin’s Mayor Marilee Chinnici-Zuercher in a statement released on Friday. “Our primary goals of this outdoor WiFi network are to enhance public safety and improve the city's operational efficiencies while also encouraging and creating growth opportunities for locally owned companies and residents.”

As part of the agreement, DHB will deploy the Cisco Aironet 1500 Series lightweight outdoor mesh access points which are attached to city buildings and streetlights to provide four square miles of coverage within the metro core. DHB will also use the Cisco 4400 Series Wireless LAN Controllers and the Cisco Wireless Control System. This will enable the company to centralize network monitoring, therefore reducing management costs.

“The city of Dublin is a progressive community that exemplifies municipal WiFi innovation,” said Alan Cohen, senior director of mobility solutions for Cisco Systems (News - Alert). “Cisco’s wireless networking technology continues to enable municipalities to build innovative mobile applications, while also providing additional tools for economic development.”

Today’s news comes on the heels of Covad (News - Alert) Communications introducing an IP-based voice and data offering for small to medium businesses (SMBs) that bundles Covad’s ClearEdge Integrated Access and Cisco’s Unified CallManager Express.

The customer-managed IP Communications service is based on Cisco's Unified CallManager Express and it features an auto attendant, night service bell, call logging, caller ID, call monitoring, call forwarding, call pickup, dual-line appearances, and hunt groups. The system also provides SMBs with other capabilities such as video telephony, rich-media conferencing, unified messaging and softphone integration.

City of Dublin, Ohio

Cisco Systems, Inc.

http://www.cisco.com

What’s the number one VoIP conference in terms of attendance? What’s the leading VoIP expo for exhibitors in terms of lead generation? And which VoIP industry event will feature special attractions for service providers, resellers, and the enterprise and SMB market as well as an overview on the Future of IP Telephony? Answer: INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & Expo, WEST, which runs October 10-13, 2006. See you in San Diego!

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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit her columnist page.

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