News

The 9th FINA World Swimming Championships in Manchester will be supported by  complete IT infrastructure from  On-Communications and Hague IT

On-Communications, the UK market leader in Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), will provide its 10Mb symmetrical broadband internet connection with Hague IT, to support both the international media centre and the organising team staging the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Manchester.  The complete solution will support all IT and communications requirements via wireless broadband technology.

The high speed, guaranteed bandwidth wireless broadband connection is a key element of the overall solution and will carry all internet and email traffic from the international media centre. The symmetrical nature of On-Communications broadband service and the  “burst” capabilities will be particularly important during peak periods at the end of heats and races as journalists and media representatives rush to immediately send reports and photographs to a global audience.

Ian Roberts, Chief Executive Officer, On-Communications commented:

“Our relationship with Hague IT is one of our first within the IT community and we feel that it reinforces our position as market leader in deployed Fixed Wireless Access network coverage for UK business.  Hague IT’s decision to use Fixed Wireless Access from On-Communications to support such a prestigious sporting event delivers two very clear messages. Firstly, Fixed Wireless Access is a dependable and proven technology for demanding applications.  Secondly, the choice to use On-Communications reflects our ability as a company to roll out solid wireless broadband networks, reliably deliver connections and build partnerships.”

Justin Hague, Managing Director, Hague IT Ltd added:

 “We are delighted to have been successful in winning the contract to provide the IT infrastructure to support the FINA World Swimming Championships.  This reflects the expertise of both our consultancy and delivery capability for major IT projects and further builds on our recent success in providing the IT at the 2007 European Hockey Championships.  On-Communications was the clear choice when it came to broadband connectivity. The combination of short install time, guaranteed symmetrical bandwidth, extra “burst” capability at peak periods and flexible short term contracts make them perfect choice for such a prestige sporting event..”

The UK is hosting the championships for the first time at the Manchester Evening News Arena, one of Europe’s largest indoor arenas and recently voted ‘The Most Popular Entertainment Venue on the Planet’. Two temporary pools filled with two million litres of water will be created in the arena.  More than 800 competitors from 130 countries will be watched by an expected 40,000 spectators during the Championships from 9th to 13th April 2008.

Guaranteed 10Mb symmetrical wireless broadband service introduced by On-Communications.

Available immediately across its entire broadband network, a new guaranteed 10MB symmetrical bandwidth internet service has been introduced by the On-Communications, the UK’s leading Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) provider.

The new broadband service delivers much higher speeds than can be provided using SDSL or cable based broadband solutions.  Because the service is delivered using Fixed Wireless Access technology, the available bandwidth is guaranteed to be 10Mb. The new wireless broadband service is totally “uncontended” unlike most SDSL based connections.  This means that On-Communications customers will always have access to their contracted bandwidth – whatever the time of day and no matter how busy other businesses are.

The symmetrical bandwidth, providing the same 10Mb speed for both down loading and up loading to the internet, is supported by a robust service level agreement and is ideal for demanding business applications such as VoIP, hosting applications, and virtual private network (VPN) support.

On-Communications 10Mb FWA service provides a more cost effective alternative to traditional leased lines, but also has the additional flexibility of supporting “burst” bandwidth usage.  This allows businesses to access additional bandwidth, up to twice their contracted speed, at no extra charge during peak periods*.  As the new service is delivered using wireless technology it can be rapidly installed, normally in less than 15 days, comparing favourably to the typical 60-90 days for a leased line.  The service also helps the environment because there is no need to dig up a road to lay cables.

The new 10Mb symmetrical broadband service is available today from On-Communications wireless network in London, Manchester, Sheffield and Oxford.

Ian Roberts, Chief Executive Officer, On-Communications said:

“We have introduced this new 10Mb service in response to customer and market demand.  Faster and more symmetrical broadband is exactly what is required by UK plc and FWA is ideal solution.  The symmetrical nature of On-Communications’ services is the edge that FWA has over DSL type technologies, delivering a genuinely cost effective resilient data connection.”

In conjunction with the 10Mb service, a new 6Mb service has also been introduced, complementing the existing standard services at 1Mb, 2Mb, 4Mb and 8Mb.  In addition to these standard services, bespoke engineered solutions of up to 100Mb and 1Gb continue to be available.

* Subject to terms & conditions