CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2009

CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2009 takes place Oct. 7-9, 2009 at the San Diego Convention Center. For exhibitor profiles, email rogerf@exportaction.

$12 million by City of Chicago

The city of Chicago has signed a $12 million agreement with Sprint for five years of wireless services. The contract calls for Sprint to provide wireless services to all government departments for the city, including voice and data solutions, the new and rapidly expanding Sprint 4G technology, and a continuance of its Nextel Direct Connect. Renewing the wireless services contract will help the government entities work more efficiently while cutting costs.

In Utah in-vehicle credit card payments

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) has announced the fleet-wide deployment of the onBoard Mobile Gateway from In Motion Technology. The solution provides wireless communications capabilities to enable in-vehicle credit card payments, Internet access and other services for passengers utilizing UTA’s 530-vehicle bus service. In Motion’s onBoard Mobility Manager will give UTA’s headquarters staff a virtual dashboard of information about networks, devices and vehicles from the field, and a high level of information and control over its wireless communications.(Clair Fiet, Chief Technology Officer for the Utah Transit Authority.)

One-to-Watch: Onboard Retail Solutions.

Wireless coverage at Florida hotel

ADC‘s InterReach Fusion in-building cellular system has been deployed to provide strong and consistent wireless coverage at the recently-renovated Fontainebleau Miami Beach resort hotel in Florida. After undergoing a three-year, $1 billion renovation and construction program, management at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach discovered that nearby cell towers were not providing adequate service throughout the facility. ADC offered the best price and performance in a multi-operator system. (David Chin, Director of IT at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.)

Wireless for mission- and life-critical applications

Virginia Hospital Center will deploy InnerWireless’ Horizon Converged Wireless solution across 1.1 million square feet in three buildings on its campus to ensure wireless connectivity for mission- and life-critical applications. Horizon, also known as a distributed antenna system (DAS), delivers virtually every wireless service including 3G smartphones, Wi-Fi, medical telemetry, fire/life/safety, pagers and two-way radios. (David Crutchfield, VP and CIO of Virginia Hospital Center.)

$7.8 million RF spectrum modeling

Overcrowding in the radio-frequency (RF) spectrum that was once the exclusive domain of the Department of Defense (DoD) threatens national security. Yet, the commercial sector’s use of wireless spectrum is rapidly expanding as well, in particular for mobile wireless devices. To address these competing needs, Alion Science and Technology will support the Army Spectrum Management Office (ASMO) with RF spectrum modeling, simulation, analysis, certification, and automation services under a $7.8 million contract. The contract, issued under the Alion-operated Modeling and Simulation Information Analysis Center (MSIAC) contract vehicle, will provide ASMO with the technical services needed to ensure that adequate RF spectrum access is available for current and future Army platforms.

Oregon architectural and engineering services

Black & Veatch was selected by the state of Oregon to provide architectural and engineering services for the Oregon Wireless Interoperability Network (OWIN) project that is designed to enhance public safety. The OWIN project consolidates the Department of Oregon State Police, Department of Corrections, Department of Forestry and Department of Transportation radio systems into an up-to-date wireless public safety network. The system will replace outdated and aging infrastructure while complying with new Federal Communications Commission regulations requiring users of wideband radio to convert to narrowband technology before Jan. 1, 2013. (OWIN Director, Lindsay Ball.)

Pay for parking by 'phone

Verrus Mobile Technologies, Inc. has implemented its Pay by Phone parking service in Sacramento, CA, Ann Arbor, MI and at Texas Tech University. www.verrus.com.

Wireline and wireless solutions for Pinnacle

Sprint and Pinnacle Airlines have reached an agreement for Sprint to provide a suite of integrated wireline and wireless solutions to Pinnacle, one of the airline industry’s largest regional carriers. The agreement encompasses a wide range of voice and data services. Wireline services include MPLS network services, SIP Trunking, Mobile Integration and international long distance, and wireless services include mobile broadband, Wireless WAN with DataLink, Land Mobile Radio (LMR) and in-building coverage. Sprint will supply more than 1,100 voice and data devices to support the converged solution. www.sprint.com.

Pinnacle Airlines Corp.’s two operating subsidiaries, Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. and Colgan Air, Inc., have 6,000 employees and fly over 1,000 daily flights transporting 13 million passengers a year to 144 cities and towns in North America. (Jayne Pendergast, Director of Information Technology for Pinnacle Airlines Corp.)

Mobile medical applications

Federal government officials and policy and medical experts spoke at “mHealth Solutions and Policy Forum,” hosted by CTIA-The Wireless Association, to discuss mobile medical applications and their numerous benefits including reducing costs and errors, removing geographical and economic disparities and reinforcing consumer-focused and personalized healthcare. The U.S. healthcare system costs $2.2 trillion each year, or about 16 percent of the gross domestic product. Currently, the Obama Administration and Congress are working to determine the best way to fix this system and bring greater service and cost efficiency. While the plans of how this can be accomplished are still being discussed, speakers agreed that wireless technology is a major part of the solution since more than 270 million in the U.S. and 4.1 billion in the world have wireless access.

First operators intending to deploy LTE named

The tally of wireless operators committed to deploying LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks and offering LTE-based services to their subscribers in 2010 has climbed to at least 12, according to a study from ABI Research. By the following year nearly 34 million users worldwide are forecast to subscribe to the new ultra-fast data services, which promise speeds rivaling those available via cable or DSL. “Spectrum availability is the primary factor impacting deployment plans,” comments senior analyst Nadine Manjaro. “In countries where telecommunications regulators are making appropriate spectrum available, many operators have announced plans to launch LTE. These include the US, Sweden, China, and others. Where no such spectrum allocations exist, operators are postponing LTE plans.” The first operators intending to deploy LTE include Verizon Wireless, MetroPCS Wireless, and U.S. Cellular in the United States.

4,500 subscribers to customer base

In a move that will add a minimum of 4,500 subscribers to its customer base by October, Wireless Matrix has finalized a contract with a leader in the pay television industry to deploy its fleet management solution across its U.S. service fleet. Valued at more than $8,500,000 over the life of its three year contract, Wireless Matrix's solution combines its Reporter series GPS and communication device with its FleetOutlook and TechConnect fleet management applications.

500 wireless disconnect units

Nighthawk Systems, Inc., a provider of wireless and IP-based control devices and solutions, has received an initial order for 500 of its CEO700 wireless disconnect units from Inland Power and Light Company of Spokane, Washington. Inland Power is the largest electric cooperative in Washington, providing electricity to over 35,000 commercial, residential and agricultural customers. The CEO700 gives electric utilities the ability to wirelessly disconnect and reconnect power to residential electric meters from a centralized location, improving customer service response times and saving the utility significant time and money over the traditional manual disconnect method that requires multiple truck rolls and field personnel.

$335,000 surveillance contract

INX has been awarded a $335,000 contract with the City of McAllen, Texas to build out a wireless network for city-wide video surveillance. The City is one step closer to installing city-wide video surveillance cameras. This week, the city commission approved a $335,000 contract with INX, tasked with building a wireless Internet network that will provide the backbone for the video surveillance program. The surveillance system, which will record video and store it in a police database, will be used primarily to help identify crime suspects, corroborate victims' accounts of a crime and help authorities detect evidence after a crime has occurred. (McAllen's Information Technology Director, Belinda Mercado.) http://www.mcallen.net/police.

(Picture shows: Police Chief Victor Rodriguez.)

Wireless PCI compliance at Fuddruckers

Fuddruckers, the restaurant chain that is home to “the world’s greatest hamburgers,” has selected AirMagnet Enterprise to help guarantee wireless PCI compliance. Fuddruckers, established in 1980, currently operates more than 220 restaurant locations across the United States. As data theft continues to evolve and make the headlines – for example, TJX (TJ Maxx parent), Bank of New York, and Hannaford – companies are becoming more sensitive to achieving PCI compliance. PCI security standards are technical and operational requirements set by the PCI Security Standards Council to protect cardholder data. It offers merchants that use payment cards a single approach to safeguard sensitive data. (Cameron Pumphrey, Director of IT at Fuddruckers.)  http://www.fuddruckers.com

$6.8 billion worth of wireless communications

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, also known simply as the Stimulus Bill) will provide funding for a massive $6.8 billion worth of wireless communications upgrades and new deployments over 2009-2010. The Act offers a significant one-off opportunity for wireless equipment vendors, an opportunity examined in a study from ABI Research.

“The ARRA represents a windfall for wireless service providers as well as for satellite service providers,” comments ABI Research vice president Stan Schatt. “It will have an enormous impact on Wi-Fi and wireless broadband vendors. It will also immediately benefit a number of specific vertical industries including healthcare, education, homeland security, the environment, and the nation’s electricity infrastructure.”

In healthcare, the scope for adding wireless to the technology mix encompasses Wi-Fi-enabled mobile devices and sensors, communications systems linking health networks, telepresence, wireless LAN equipment, and Wi-Fi-enabled video surveillance systems.

In education, already a leading adopter of Wi-Fi solutions, equipment vendors are developing templated solutions in such areas as WLANs for “learning anywhere,” voice-over-Wi-Fi, and WLAN equipment and software to track students’ progress for “No Child Left Behind” record keeping.

The Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection are potential goldmines for wireless vendors because of the many agencies within them that will use ARRA funds for tactical communications equipment, infrastructure equipment, and security equipment. Even critical infrastructure construction projects such as bridges and tunnels often require wireless video surveillance systems.

In fact, notes Schatt, “Many of the spending opportunities lie ‘under the surface’. A civil engineering project which seems mainly about concrete and steel may actually benefit from a lot of wireless technology. And because vendors can’t apply for funds themselves, they are – and should be – doing everything in their power to help their customers do so.”

ABI Research’s “The 2009 Federal Stimulus Bill” (http://www.abiresearch.com/research/1004117) examines the ARRA funds most appropriate for wireless solutions on a federal department-by-department basis. It discusses the types of partnerships necessary to fill product gaps as well as the opportunities to take advantage of ARRA “green” funding. 

50 percent of hotel guests use Wi-Fi

BelAir Networks has been selected for Wi-Fi deployments in Omni Hotels. The Omni Fort Worth, the city’s newest and largest hotel was the brand’s first BelAir Networks deployment site, followed by the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale. AFL Network Services provided network design, installation and technical support for the projects. This trend is driven by the growing number of Wi-Fi applications and mobile-enabled devices that guests use when they travel. The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), in its study “2008 Current and Future Technology Use in the Hospitality Industry”, identified Wi-Fi services as the “IT system that guests care about most.” “With nearly 50 percent of our guests using Wi-Fi and their bandwidth demands continuing to accelerate, we sought a high-performance network partner which could ensure we continue to serve our customers’ needs on a ‘go-forward basis’,” said Richard Tudgay, vice president of information technology for Omni Hotels.

CTIA speaking opportunity

CTIA - The Wireless Association is accepting applications to speak at their wireless and entertainment event in San Diego, CA October 6-9, 2009. The deadline for submitting applications is June 20th. For more details, email Roger Frampton.

Wi-Fi Arrays for county schools

Xirrus Wi-Fi Arrays are being delpoyed across Washington County Public Schools (WCPS), located in Hagerstown Maryland which is in the Western part of Maryland, as part of the Tri-State area including nearby Pennsylvania and West Virginia. “Our school district has 2,500 employees servicing over 20,000 K-12 students across 46 campuses – selecting the right Wi-Fi solution was critical to our future online learning, not to mention the ability to better utilize our existing facilities and resources,” said Dave Mundey, Manager of Technology & Telecommunication Services at WCPS. (Arnold E. Hammann, Director of Information Management & Instructional Technology at WCPS.)

Secure wireless data capability

The U.S. Army has awarded Telos Corporation a task order to engineer, furnish, and install a turn key secure wireless data capability as part of the Installation Information Infrastructure Modernization Program (I3MP) wireless edge extension at Ft. Irwin, Calif. The task order was awarded through the Air Force Network-Centric Solutions (NETCENTS) contract vehicle and will be overseen by the office of Project Manager Network Service Center, Product Manager Defense Communications Systems-CONUS (PM NSC PdM DCS-C).