Pactel, Rural Tech Development sets up wireless solution for PNG LNG camp

Rural Tech Development and Pactel International joined forces to engineer a wireless solution for PNG LNG that ensures uniform coverage across the 1.2 square kilometers of PNG's accommodation camp.

The two companies designed their joint solution to improve the quality of life of the 9,000 PNG LNG workers who call the camp home away from home. Rural Tech and Pactel deployed secure VoIP Payphones for voice calls and granted WiFi access to the Internet through an Internet cafe and the workers's personal devices.

Pactel deployed a 10 Mb satellite link that employed a cost-efficient, carrier-grade Newtec platform and multiple bandwidth reserves. It also applied application filtering, bandwidth acceleration, QoS, and other value-adding services to ensure efficiency was maximized and operations proceeded seamlessly.

Rural Tech served as the manager for the design, installation, and layout of the updated wireless system at the PNG LNG camp site. It created a centralized management and billing system that allowed workers to access services by purchasing a pre-paid internet and VoIP card.

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Alvarion aims for 300 Smart Cities with wireless broadband before 2016

In preparation for the 2016 Olympics, Alvarion will deploy wireless broadband solutions in 300 municipalities across 24 different states in Brazil to create “Smart Cities.”

Alvarion’s Smart City initiative aims to transform Brazilian municipalities into networked environments where both public and private organizations can enhance security, healthcare, enterprise, and other opportunities by leveraging carrier-grade wireless broadband technology.

Alvarion started its operations in Brazil in 2000. Six years later, the Company turned the city of Catanduva, in the Sao Paulo State, into the first ever Smart City.

Alvarion ensures the highest standards of security and quality of service when delivering multiple applications on the same network. In addition, its carrier-grade wireless broadband solutions were efficient and cost-effective, making them very attractive and useful for municipalities.

Developing countries have recognized the advantages brought by broadband technology. However, they are also aware of the prohibitive cost of constructing the infrastructure for fixed broadband service.

However, a wireless broadband network -such as the Smart City solutions offered by Alvarion- removes the need to build or lease expensive E1/T1 lines. Alvarion’s solution interconnect government offices, first responders, and other organizations through the use of point-to-point and point-to-multipoint wireless technology.

The Smart Cities use Alvarion’s BreezeNet B, BreezeACCESS VL, and WBS WiFi solutions. The wireless broadband solutions use multiple frequencies, allowing it to handle multiple applications from a single network. These applications not only generate business opportunities for service providers, but they also serve to deliver medical care, education, and entertainment to rural areas.

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O2 small cell WiFi network gets mobile backhaul support from Cambridge Broadband VectaStar

Mobile backhaul technology expert Cambridge Broadband Networks will be deploying its Vectastar multipoint microwave backhaul technology on behalf of telecom provider O2's new public small cell Wi-Fi network.

O2 is deploying its first public small cell Wi-Fi network in London. It is composed of more than 100 Wi-Fi access points installed on street furniture across the London Boroughs of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea. The Wi-Fi network's traffic will be aggregated across the mesh and sent to a number of VectaStar point-to-multipoint nodes. These PTM points will then backhaul the traffic they received to a central hub in London.

O2's small cell network intends to provide O2's London customers with excellent outdoor Wi-Fi connectivity. "Small Cells offer an enormous opportunity for operators to deliver high-speed and high-capacity data access to their subscribers," said Kevin Oemering, Account Director at Cambridge Broadband Networks. 

Director Oemering added, however, that "The significant uplift in the number of radios needed for a small cell network, compared to today's macrocellular networks, requires a new approach to backhaul." According to him, O2 needed a mobile backhaul solution that could be easily and quickly deployed, support the high capacity demands of a small cell network, and possess the flexibility to expand its network across London.

"VectaStar's multipoint microwave architecture is suitably positioned to deal with the increase in the number of cell sites," Director Oemering explained, "as operators exploit innovative network infrastructure to serve mobile consumers."

Cambridge Broadband's VectaStar multipoint wireless backhaul technology uses a network configuration similar to the interface between cell tower and mobile handset found in the radio access network. This fundamentally different and cost-efficient backhauling network architecture uses the available 28 GHz spectrum band to provide excellent benefits for mobiles, including the next generation units. VectaStar mobile backhaul services will give O2 the ability to send traffic from its London network's numerous small cell networks to a single aggregation point.

Business passengers want better Internet, more mobile services at airports and flights

Increasingly mobile-savvy business-class airline passengers are demanding better wireless Internet and improved use of mobile technology at airports and inflight.

According to a recent poll by Flightview, the average business passenger considers current airport and inflight WiFi services to be unreliable, limited, and frustrating, be it Internet by satellite or from wireless ground stations.

A vast number of the Flightview survey participants also wanted airports to provide other mobile-centered services. 94% said they would like to receive their flight status on their mobile. Nearly 70% wished to be notified about the availability of seating upgrades and receive alerts about their flight's boarding time. And more than 80% expressed the desire to have used mobile boarding passes instead of traditional means of boarding identification.

The Flightview survey also determined that 70% want the ability to use mobile apps to rebook on another flight, 57% wanted their mobiles to display standby status and terminal maps, 36% want to buy ticket upgrades using their mobiles, and 93% wanted airports to show the status and gate location of their next flight on their mobiles during connections.

Flightview concluded its survey by urging airports and airlines to integrate mobile wireless technology into their operations. “Business travellers, pressed for time, want access to new tools and technologies that make travelling easier and more efficient," observed Mike Benjamin, CEO of FlightView. "Every time an airport or airline rolls out a new offering, it raises travellers’ expectations, which, in turn, puts pressure on others in the industry to quickly adopt and integrate new technologies.”

Another recent survey -this time by SITA, a specialist in air transport IT and communications- showed a marked increase in the demand for free airport WiFi. SITA reported that 73% of its survey participants would like to use a mobile boarding pass. (17% have indeed used a mobile boarding pass.)

SITA also reported that two-thirds of the participants would like to receive text messages regarding changes to flights. The other third already avails of that service.

“When you look at what the airlines and airports are doing," noted Brenda Flinter, SITA media relations manager, "You see they have recognised the demand."

According to Ms. Flinter, airports are now focusing on easing passengers' stay at the terminal by providing updates and services on passengers’ mobile phones. Airport operators heavily invest in technology and solutions that allow them to notify passengers of flight status and delays on mobile phones.

“Airlines are investing in passenger services via mobile devices," Ms. Flitner said. “Beyond 2015, the smartphone and the website will be the dominant methods for passenger processing." She predicted that "nine out of ten airlines plan to engage with passengers through mobiles by 2015.”

The Advantages of Wireless Communication

Plainly speaking, wireless communication is a transfer of information without any physical connection between two or more points. Because of this absence of any “physical infrastructure”, wireless communication has certain advantages. This would often include collapsing distance or space. Since there is no need for physical connections like cable or fibre, communications is not limited to an area. Case in point, are your smartphones. Without wireless communication technologies like in most landline phones, you’d be stuck at home, and the convenience of carrying a device anywhere would be impossible. Wireless communications services can also be seen in Internet technologies such as Wi-Fi.

With no network cables hampering movement, you can now connect with almost anyone, anywhere anytime. On-demand services is thus possible with wireless communication systems. Improvements can also be seen in speed. Notice how wireless internet connectivity is far more efficient than dial-up.

Geographic distance is no longer a problem as well. You can find yourself in the middle of the desert or in some remote, tropical rainforest and still manage to connect to the Internet or make important calls thanks to technologies like satellite broadband and satellite communications trailers.

This mobility and convenience offered by wireless communications present opportunities to improve various industries and sectors of society. In rural regions, online education is now possible. Educators no longer need to travel to far-flung areas to teach their lessons thanks to live streaming of their educational modules. Miners in the outback can rely on satellite phones to call their loved ones, and thus, help improve their general welfare by keeping them in touch with the people who mean the most to them. Costs are dramatically reduced in wireless communications because there is no longer any need to build expensive terrestrial infrastructure like fibre or cables.