Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Extends Corporate Network With BridgeWave's Gigabit Wireless Links
2008-04-28 14:43:12 -
www.bridgewave.com - BridgeWave Communications Gita Rao-Prasad, 408-567-6914 gitar@bridgewave.com or HetzelMeade Communications Sue Hetzel, 760-434-9927 sue@hetzelmeade.com BridgeWave Communications, the leading supplier of gigabit wireless solutions, today announced that Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (HE&R), a leader in the hospitality and entertainment industries, has adopted BridgeWave's gigabit wireless links to extend the reach of its corporate backbone network and provide full gigabit connectivity for remote locations.
The virtual fiber links securely interconnect HE&R properties and entertainment venues, providing fiber-equivalent performance, without the costs and delays associated with traditional metro Ethernet solutions. The future-proof capacity will support Hershey's growing network traffic, including VoIP, data, IP video surveillance, point-of-sale and call center applications, for years to come.
Faced with the need to connect its corporate network to the headquarters of the M.S. Hershey Foundation as well as a nearby theater and gardens properties, HE&R decided that a substantial upgrade in network capacity was needed to accommodate a wide range of networked applications. The increasing capacity requirements ruled out copper-based service alternatives. Metro Ethernet service offerings were considered, but rejected due to high installation costs, prohibitive monthly access fees and difficulties in obtaining rights-of-way.
With assistance from systems integrator NWN Corporation and wireless systems specialist BCI Communications, Inc., a Berliner Communications Company (OTC BB: BERL), HE&R evaluated various high-speed alternatives before selecting BridgeWave gigabit wireless products as the preferred solution. "BridgeWave's reliable, high-speed radios are an excellent alternative to fiber, delivering the same performance and reliability without the associated costs," said Rich Berliner, CEO of BCI Communications. "Product quality, robust performance and ease of implementation add up to a compelling value that's hard to beat."
With rave user reviews following the installation of the first BridgeWave GE60 Gigabit Ethernet link to support its call center, HE&R deployed additional links including the AR80 with its unique AdaptRate(TM) capability to ensure all-weather link availability. In addition to LAN backbone extensions, HE&R has installed BridgeWave's AR80X extended range gigabit wireless link to create a redundant path for a critical network segment between two hospitality properties located about 2.5 miles apart. BridgeWave's virtual fiber link provides diverse ingress and egress points to the properties' respective network switch rooms to safeguard mission-critical credit-card circuits from disruptions to the primary fiber-optic leased lines.
"Performance, reliability, low latency and high bandwidth make BridgeWave's products an ideal connectivity solution," says Andy Bomboy, director of network and communications services for HE&R. "We view point-to-point gigabit wireless as a core IT infrastructure technology that enables us to add more IP video cameras, POS terminals and new converged network applications. The links we are deploying now deliver bandwidth to meet our needs for the next five to seven years, allowing us to connect more sites while increasing network resiliency." Hershey already is planning additional deployments for the coming year.
"The deployment of multi-location networked applications is driving strategic business requirements for metro Ethernet solutions," says Gregg Levin, chief marketing officer for BridgeWave Communications. "Corporations are turning to gigabit wireless technology to fulfill these connectivity needs when fiber availability or cost hinders application rollout."
About BridgeWave Communications
Founded in 1999, BridgeWave Communications is the leading supplier of Gigabit Ethernet outdoor wireless connectivity solutions. The company's exclusive AdaptRate(TM) technology and Forward Error Correction capabilities deliver the highest availability at the longest distances for full-rate GigE solutions. BridgeWave's point-to-point, fixed wireless solutions are ideally suited for a wide variety of enterprise, service provider, healthcare, education, public safety and government/military network applications. With the largest installed base of GigE radios worldwide, BridgeWave delivers the highest levels of product quality and reliability. For more information, visit www.bridgewave.com.
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