CenturyTel Selects DragonWave to Extend Municipal Wi-Fi Network

Source: Press Release
February 6, 2007 - Ottawa, Canada

WiFi Network's Reach Boosts Town of Vail, Colorado Public Safety and First-Response Services

DragonWave Inc., a leading global supplier of next-generation wireless networks, today announced that it is working with CenturyTel to deploy DragonWave's AirPair solution in Vail, Colorado. DragonWave's fixed wireless solution is part of Century Tel's Municipal Wi-Fi initiative, ensuring the high-speed access network is available in all areas of the Town. The DragonWave solution provides licensed wireless backhaul links, allowing the municipal network to reach crucial parts of town not serviced by fiber. The tremendous success of providing free Internet access to businesses, residents and visitors in the Town of Vail prompted the Town to explore other avenues to further expand the coverage of its Wi-Fi network provided by Century Tel. "We quickly realized the benefit our high-speed network could provide city employees, especially our emergency services and public safety operations," said Ron Braden, Director of IT Services with The Town of Vail, Colorado. "One such example is our ability to send in-car police video monitoring back to the dispatch center from any location on the WiFi network, enabling improved incident communications and ensuring a safer work environment for our officers." DragonWave's AirPair wireless backhaul solution operates within both licensed and unlicensed radio frequencies of 11-to-38-GHz range, ensuring interference-free performance for customers' traffic. AirPair provides scalable, ultra-low latency, wire-speed native Ethernet connectivity up to 500 Megabits-per-second (Mbps) full duplex. The system is extremely easy to deploy and manage, with a full suite of network management options. AirPair has indoor and outdoor deployment options, and is a highly reliable platform enabling 99.999% service availability. "The Town of Vail is another example of a growing number of municipalities that recognize the power of today's wireless networks to generate operational efficiencies and improve public safety," said Peter Allen, President and CEO of DragonWave. "Our AirPair wireless backhaul solution cost-effectively allows service providers to extend their footprint beyond the reach of fiber."