In the zone

"BT offered us attractive support services and training, backed by a compelling commercial offer." Rob Williams, National Ice Centre

The dawn of the wireless world is upon us, and BT Openzone is a great way to deliver a wire-free working environment, as the National Ice Centre can testify.

A wireless revolution has begun. In the near future, you’ll think back to cable-clogged offices and homes and wonder how you put up with them for so long when the benefits of wireless working are so clear.

A fast, flexible and secure wireless world, where ‘nomadic’ users can email, access office networks and browse the web free of their desks, is well on the way. Propelling it are the heavyweight manufacturers of computers, mobile phones and other cutting-edge technologies. Those, and the main standard that makes it all happen: Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi is a radio-based networking technology, ideal for creating high-speed Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). This makes it particularly useful for office environments, where it could help eliminate the ‘spaghetti effect’ of cables everywhere.

The wireless revolution

The proliferation of wireless will have two key effects: the nature of office environments will change and location-independent working will become a more effective and realistic option.

Office design, unhindered by the bulk and immobility of the average hardwired PC, can be more easily tailored to specific purposes and more adaptable to business needs.

As for flexible working or telecommuting, in practice it has often been compromised by practical limitations. Workers may be able to easily access office systems from home but not on the road; or they can connect to a laptop at head office to transfer information, but it proves trickier at home or in a branch office. Wireless can wipe out these limitations, both in the office and at home, as a connection is easily established through simple proximity.

The future – now

Alongside the growth of wireless-enabled computers and other electronic devices, the roll-out of services across the UK continues apace. BT is at the forefront of Wi-Fi service provision with its plans to create 12 Wireless Cities. It already has firm agreements with Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Cardiff and with Westminster in London. Users will have access to a range of information and services – for example, up-to-date parking locations, cinema details and traffic information.

Chief of BT’s converged communications services, Steve Andrews, says: ‘We’ve been thrilled with the overwhelming response of local authorities and businesses wanting to be part of this wireless revolution. This first phase of 12 cities is just the start. We’re already negotiating with many others.’

While metropolitan areas are increasingly well catered for, what of the 11.7 million people in rural Britain? Ofcom, independent regulator for the UK communications industries, is aware that lower-density areas could be neglected by ‘wired’ service providers, due to higher installation costs per user and the relative shortage of potential customers.

It considers wireless broadband the best way of ensuring rural users don’t fall foul of the ‘digital divide’. In its Digital Dividend Review (2006), Ofcom states: ‘The capital investment needed to create wireless broadband networks is usually less than that required for wired networks, it takes less time to deploy or reconfigure wireless, and wireless equipment prices are falling faster than wired equivalents.’

To date, delivering Wi-Fi to rural areas has been rendered more expensive by signal strength limitations. Now Ofcom proposes boosting the power of Wi-Fi signals, which would slash the cost of servicing rural areas because fewer transmitters would be required.

Technology shift

As service delivery expands, so too do the number and range of access devices. One growing area is Wi-Fi-enabled digital cameras. Kodak, Nikon and Canon have all launched models capable of wirelessly transferring images to a computer, directly emailing them and directly uploading them to online albums.

Wi-Fi phones are booming too. By combining Wi-Fi with Voice Over IP (VoIP) technology, the likes of Motorola, Hewlett-Packard and NEC have created hybrid devices that can switch seamlessly between Wi-Fi and mobile phone networks, whenever necessary. The result is greater flexibility in mobile communications and potential cost savings made by shifting call minutes, that would have come off a mobile plan, over to the internet.

Wi-Fi over ice

The best way to appreciate the personal and business benefits of wireless is to see it in action. Nottingham’s £43m National Ice Centre (NIC) is a Centre of Excellence for ice sports. It has two Olympic-sized rinks (one of which converts into a 10,000-seat arena for live music and sporting events), as well as a shop and conference facilities, and hosts a range of sports from ice hockey to speed skating. Additionally, the NIC is open to the public; in February this year, over 34,000 visitors took to the ice.

To improve the service it offers public and corporate clients, the NIC’s management started to explore wireless internet access. Rob Williams, the NIC’s IT and retail manager recalls: ‘We were getting lots of requests for wireless access, both from corporate clients and concert promoters. The public also increasingly expects wireless facilities at centres such as ours. An in-house managed solution was not practical, given the scale required, so we started looking at outsourced options.’

The NIC approached a range of providers, but ultimately opted for BT Openzone. Williams explains: ‘BT is a trustworthy company, here for the long-term. Its scale and scope means we know it can support us and back up the claims it makes. BT offered us attractive services such as signage, training and marketing support, backed by a compelling commercial offer.’

BT Openzone is ideal for the NIC. It provides fast, secure Wi-Fi access to the web, email and other office systems, delivering the advantages of mobile working to individuals and business customers. Openzone hotspots are interconnected with BT’s own broadband network and support fast data transfer at up to 11Mbps for wireless devices within 100 metres of an access point.

Fact-finding and preparation

Prior to deploying the service, BT conducted a comprehensive site survey to ascertain the location and number of access points required for optimum coverage. It decided on one mobile access point and eight fixed, and the design, location and power feed arrangements for the supporting LAN infrastructure were also determined. To complete the solution, two diversely routed 2Mbps BT Broadband lines link the Centre to the internet.

Installation took just two days. Williams says: ‘BT did an excellent job siting the access points – in fact, you can’t see a single one – and completed the work with no disruption to our business. The network’s performance is first-class, with 100 per cent coverage throughout the public areas and even extending to the square outside the arena.’

To use BT Openzone, visitors simply require a wireless-enabled device such as a laptop, and a BT Openzone account or voucher. Vouchers and subscription services are sold at the NIC box office or payment can be made online. Pay-per-minute accounts and monthly subscriptions are also available.

The NIC management team have no doubts that wireless access facilities have increased the appeal of their conference and leisure venue. In addition, the BT Openzone installation provides the NIC with a valuable stream of extra income – through a revenue share of all services used from the site and from a commission on the sale of BT Openzone vouchers and subscription services at the centre.

Wireless access helps encourage longer stays with a potential benefit of incremental sales of food, beverages and merchandise. Rob Williams confirms: ‘BT Openzone is becoming the network of choice for many corporate customers, as well as members of the press who cover sporting events at the centre. This puts us in a great position to support our customers and provides us with the potential for incremental revenue.’

BT Openzone – the facts

What is a Wi-Fi network?

A wireless local-area network that uses radio waves. Typically, it is linked via a fixed broadband line to the internet. Wi-Fi can provide fast and secure roaming access to the web, email and internet-enabled office systems.

What are the benefits?
Headline business benefits include increased efficiency, improved employee work-life balance, reductions in absenteeism, improved staff morale, environmental benefits and cost savings due to reductions in office space.

What do I need to use wi-fi?
Make sure your laptop, PDA, phone, etc is wireless-enabled. If not, you’ll need a wireless-LAN adapter. You then need to sort out access to the service. Pay-per- minute accounts, pre-pay vouchers and monthly subscriptions are all available for publicly accessible networks. Finally, find a hotspot.

What is a hotspot?
A hotspot is a Wi-Fi access point. Check BT’s website for hotspot locations in the UK and abroad; look for signs on café windows, or invest in an electronic Wi-Fi hotspot finder. BT’s site also explains how to find hotspots via text message.

How many hotspots are there?
There are currently more than 7,800 BT Openzone hotspots in the UK and over 30,000 hotspots globally, in public locations such as BT payphone kiosks, motorway services, cafés, pubs, airports and hotels. Hotspot coverage ranges between 70 and 100 metres.

Why BT?

It has installed thousands of publicly accessible BT Openzone Wi-Fi hotspots; its scale and scope guarantees high levels of support, and its wireless solutions are among the most secure, reliable and cost-effective currently on the market.