Wireless Valley Designs for HeathrowWireless Valley Designs for Heathrow

LONDON -- Wireless Valley® Communications, a developer of software solutions for wireless network design and management, today announced that BAA, the world's leading airport company, is using the company’s EnterprisePlanner™ software to assist in the design of the wireless infrastructure for the new Terminal 5 (T5) being built at Heathrow Airport.

BAA’s £4.2B T5 project, envisioned as one of the world’s most advanced new airport facilities, will include a sophisticated wireless infrastructure consisting of a private mobile radio (PMR) network for use by emergency and security workers, a public cellular telephone network and a wireless LAN for use by passengers, baggage handlers, shop owners and airport personnel.

Meeting the various needs of all the users coupled with the immense area to be covered, over 4.2 million cubic yards in the terminal buildings alone, prompted BAA to search for a software solution that would help them effectively and efficiently design the wireless networks. Many of the software packages BAA reviewed required physical measurements of the building to help design the network – an impossible task since the building was still in the early design phase. BAA chose Wireless Valley’s EnterprisePlanner software because their designers could import CAD or other common drawing formats as the basis for the project and simulate network coverage and capacity based on the drawing schematics. Plus, Wireless Valley brings a comprehensive understanding of all radio frequencies in its products which added significant value in this multi-frequency environment.

The first component to be designed, the PMR infrastructure, is nearing the end of the design phase. The engineers used Wireless Valley’s software to effectively position the approximately 16 miles of radiating cable and 12 miles of low loss cable that will be needed for the system. As T5 is a stacked level terminal, it was challenging to model, so being able to use Wireless Valley’s software to visualize the design in 3D and then perform predictions that account for coverage among the floors was critical.

Wireless Valley’s software is enabling the WLAN and PMR design teams to understand the impact of metals and other building materials on RF propagation and is helping to influence the choice of materials in key building areas.

All three networks are scheduled to be operational in conjunction with the opening of T5 in March 2008.

“We’re excited to be helping BAA turn its comprehensive vision into secure and effective wireless networks that will enhance the passenger’s travel experience and the employee’s ability to serve customers,” said Jim Welch CEO and president of Wireless Valley. “We developed our software and intellectual property portfolio based on the concept that site specific information and bandwidth requirements are the optimal method for ensuring high quality of service levels, both in terms of coverage and capacity. The T5 project is a perfect example of how our software can be used to streamline deployments and ensure network performance.”

Wireless Valley Communications Inc.