FRII Brings Mesh-Based Muni Wireless to Colorado with Nortel Solutions
Share:
DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY, CITY OF FORT COLLINS, THE RANCH FIRST TO BENEFIT
OCTOBER 22, 2007
DENVER - Customers of the Denver Central Library or any of the Denver Public Library's** 22 branch locations will soon have access to e-mail and other Internet services from their laptop computers using a municipal wireless network from FRII (Front Range Internet Inc.) and Nortel [NYSE/TSX: NT].
FRII, one of Colorado's largest independent Internet Service Providers, has also rolled out similar networks serving downtown Fort Collins** and the Larimer County Fairgrounds and Events Complex, also known as The Ranch.
Nortel is providing FRII with municipal wireless solutions - including integrated applications, services and mesh technology - under a two-year agreement announced in June 2007. Wireless mesh networks employ auto-discovery and self-routing to provide more cost-effective indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi coverage. Nortel was the global market leader in wireless mesh nodes in the second quarter of 2007 with a 26 percent share, according to the Dell'Oro Group.
"We're committed to providing valuable Internet services at the best possible price points to government, municipalities, libraries, event venues, schools, businesses and other institutions by linking them wirelessly to established fiber networks," said Barry Eastman, director, special projects, FRII. "And we do this using a variety of business models to suit the unique requirements of each organization."
"Municipal wireless succeeds when the right business model, the right applications and the right partners are identified up front," said Angela Singhal Whiteford, director, municipal wireless solutions, Nortel. "FRII understands this. That's why they are working closely with Nortel to bring Wi-Fi access and value-added services to communities and businesses throughout northern Colorado using the appropriate models to create a win-win situation for everyone."
The Denver Public Library network is being supplied and built by FRII. The library owns the network and pays FRII to operate it. By year-end, users will be able to establish a single ID and password for free Wi-Fi access at any library location through an automated Web portal.
In downtown Fort Collins, citizens and visitors can get 30 minutes of free daily Wi-Fi service with an option to pay for additional access by the hour, day or month using a network owned and operated by FRII. The city is considering a broader deployment that could include applications such as VoIP, automated meter reading, advertising and point-of-sale.
FRII also operates the network owned by Larimer County that supplies Wi-Fi access for events staged at The Ranch. This network provides paid Internet access and point-of-sale services across this six-building, 150-acre complex, which is home to such events as the "Thunder in the Rockies" motorcycle rally and the Northern Colorado Business Expo.
Nortel also announced today an agreement to provide wireless mesh and IPTV solutions for KermanTel in Kerman, Calif., and municipal wireless deployments using mesh and WiMAX technology for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Nortel offers a single source for everything necessary to speed and simplify municipal wireless network deployments with rapid return on investment. Nortel's Municipal Wireless Solutions combine wireless mesh, wireless LAN and WiMAX technologies with applications, business model consulting, radio frequency and network design, installation, configuration, acceptance testing and project management. Nortel can also help connect municipalities with the service providers and anchor tenants best suited to addressing their economic development and community services needs.
About FRII
FRII has been providing quality Internet and communication services to businesses and individuals since 1995. FRII takes pride in its technical expertise and in providing exceptional service to its customers. FRII is proudly among the largest Internet service providers in Colorado. FRII provides custom-tailored Internet solutions using High Speed Broadband, T-1 to OC-12, Fiber, VoIP, Class-A Data Center, Web Design and Hosting, Dialup, Spam and Virus Filtering, Internet Security, Consulting Services, and Data Storage and Backup. FRII is a trusted source for custom-designed communication structure. FRII is constantly creating new and intelligent solutions to make life easier. Voice, Data, Storage - FRII is the connectivity expert.
About Nortel
Nortel is a recognized leader in delivering communications capabilities that make the promise of Business Made Simple a reality for our customers. Our next-generation technologies, for both service provider and enterprise networks, support multimedia and business-critical applications. Nortel's technologies are designed to help eliminate today's barriers to efficiency, speed and performance by simplifying networks and connecting people to the information they need, when they need it. Nortel does business in more than 150 countries around the world. For more information, visit Nortel on the Web at www.nortel.com. For the latest Nortel news, visit nortel.com/news.
**This is a 3rd party link as described in our Web linking practices.
Use of the terms "partner" and "partnership" does not imply a legal partnership between Nortel and any other party.
Contacts for Press and Analysts:
Mark Buford
972-362-1512
mark.buford@nortel.com
