U. of Georgia Deploys BelAir

ATHENS, Ga. and KANATA, Ont. -- Wide-Area Wi-Fi provider, BelAir Networks, announced today that seven BelAir200 Wireless Switch Routers have been deployed by the University of Georgia's (UGA) Mobile Media Consortium (MMC) to upgrade the University's acclaimed outdoor WLAN, or "WAGZone" (Wireless Athens Georgia Zone). The seven BelAir200 units form a wireless network throughout 24 blocks of downtown Athens that will be used to research and explore applications for wireless technology in a real-world environment.

The WAGZone was created in 2001 and its three-year-old WLAN infrastructure was beginning to degrade due to humidity and rain. UGA evaluated several WLAN infrastructure solutions, selecting BelAir because of the system's carrier-grade network capabilities, as well as its weatherproof enclosures.

"We needed something that was built for outdoor deployment and could scale to support demanding applications such as voice and video in a city wide network," said Scott Shamp, director of the University of Georgia's New Media Institute. "The BelAir system was created to handle the rapid evolution of wireless standards and applications, and is the perfect compliment for an experimental network like the WAGZone."

The BelAir network will be used by students and faculty to test prototypes of mobile applications in projects UGA students are required to complete as part of a mobile media design and development course. Examples of recent mobile media projects produced in the WAGZone include a wireless football stadium, a restaurant guide, and a wireless walking historical tour.

"BelAir is honored to provide the backbone for the nation's first and longest-running research and development project for mobile applications," said Greg Partalis, senior vice-president of worldwide sales at BelAir. "With the New Media Institute, we have created a network infrastructure capable of handling some of the most innovative and collaborative wireless applications for real world situations."

BelAir Networks Inc.