Wifi Revolution

iFORTE, a service provider and information technology (IT) integrator in Indonesia, is now offering public wireless Internet access in malls in Jakarta, the country’s capital city. To provide the services, iFORTE has deployed more than 200 Firetide (News - Alert) wireless access points in the malls that houses shops, restaurants, meeting rooms, offices, and apartments in three separate buildings, two of which have more than 30 floors.

 

Access points, using Firetide mesh nodes, were placed in elevators for wireless Internet access for mobile consumers. The deployment is part of iFORTE and Firetide’s cooperation to build metropolitan Jakarta’s largest network, which combines fiber-optic, mesh and WiFi (News - Alert), and have over 150 miles of fiber along main streets and business districts.

 

The newly-connected fX Lifestyle X'nter mall caters to young executive professionals from 25 to 45 for both business and leisure. iFORTE offers fiber connections to every office and apartment for voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), Internet protocol television (IPTV (News - Alert)), and other data services. Firetide access points are connected to either existing fiber infrastructure or to Firetide mesh nodes wherever fiber is not available. This enhances Wi-Fi in all indoor and outdoor areas of the mall. Access at speeds of up to 5 Mbps is available via paid subscriptions for building residents and office workers; mall visitors pay for day passes.

 

“Fast and reliable Wi-Fi access to the Internet is imperative to the customers, residents and workers at fX Lifestyle X'nter,” said Andrie Tjioe, director of iFORTE, in a statement. “Having worked with Firetide on other projects, we knew their access points and mesh nodes could cover the dynamic layout of the buildings with bandwidth almost three times higher than the competing bids. Offering this in addition to fiber helps make the mall one of the most attractive places to live, work and relax in bustling Jakarta.”

 

The WLAN network installation is almost complete with 218 indoor and five outdoor Firetide HotPoint access points out of which 80 functions as actual shopping centre. The rest of the access points are distributed within the residence and office buildings, with six to 10 per floor. Twenty-two Firetide HotPort mesh nodes were used throughout the facility to extend the wireless network to outdoor areas and places difficult to reach with fiber, such as elevators.

 

“We’re finding our access points are being chosen for WLANs in places challenged with connectivity obstacles and in scenarios that require a lot of bandwidth,” said Bo Larsson, chief executive officer of Firetide. “As the leading provider of Internet and data communication solutions in Indonesia, iFORTE has an excellent understanding of our wireless access and mesh technologies. This combination of fiber and mesh shows how iFORTE is able to think outside the box and use advanced technologies in new ways to provide real-life solutions.”

 

 

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