Red-M, a leading supplier of advanced Bluetooth networking product solutions, and BT Ignite Solutions will join forces to create the UK`s first Bluetooth-enabled train and railway business lounge.
Red-M`s award-winning products will be deployed in the business lounge at a principal London commuter station and on a leading operating company`s trains in order to provide mobile Internet and e-mail services to business passengers.
The pilot installation, starting later this summer on a main line route, will provide regular travellers with mobile access to cached Internet content, news feeds, e-mail and bespoke services such as e-ticketing and travel information over a Bluetooth network.
The solution will integrate Internet and mobile technology, adapted to operate within a train environment. The Bluetooth network will be based on Red-M`s award-winning 3000AS access server and 1000AP access points, enabling reliable and secure mobile access from Bluetooth-enabled devices, including personal digital assistants (PDAs) laptops and wireless application protocol (WAP) phones. The Red-M 3000AS on the train will manage the content and act as a gateway between the on-board network and the wide area network (WAN) equipment.
Access to the WAN will be via one of two wireless links, namely GPRS for access to real-time browsing and e-mail, and a wireless LAN for access to non-time-critical applications. The master content and access to the Internet and other services will be managed from the central site located at the BT Ignite offices in Ipswich. Mobile data transfer and synchronisation to the server will take place over GPRS when the train is moving and over wireless LAN when the train is stationary.
Phil Flavin CTO, BT Ignite Solutions, comments: "Red-M is a clear leader in the Bluetooth market and we are pleased to be working with them to enable this solution. The network will demonstrate how train operators can provide passengers with value-added services by employing Bluetooth wireless technology."
Simon Gawne, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Red-M, Adds: "We continue to break new ground with our pioneering solutions which are making the vision of seamless mobility between the office, public environment and home a reality. Red-M`s infrastructure will enable business passengers to make the most of their time while travelling, by providing access to a range of on-board mobile services.
"We believe the advanced capabilities of Bluetooth will provide direct benefits to a number of diverse markets, with the travel and transport sectors set to gain significantly. We are delighted to be working with BT on this exciting installation."
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Red-M is an acknowledged leader in the Bluetooth networking market. The company develops and markets hardware and software product solutions that enable mobile data, voice and video communications inside buildings and public concourses to a range of devices - including computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless application protocol (WAP) smart phones and other emerging information appliances - using wireless Bluetooth technology.
Red-M was founded as an internal start-up of Madge Networks N.V. and is now an associate company, having secured $35 million second round funding from Apax Partners and Amadeus Capital in April 2001.
Red-M launched the world`s first Bluetooth networking products in October 2000 with the 3000AS access server and 1000AP access point. The company has filed a number of patents around the design and implementation of Bluetooth networking technology, including its unique Red-M BIAS (Bluetooth Internet access server) technology.
Red-M has won several awards including the first ever Award for Innovation at the annual Bluetooth Congress in June 2000 and more recently PC Magazine`s `UK Technical Innovation Award`. Red-M is an Associate Member of the Bluetooth Special Internet Group (SIG) and is an active member of the Personal Area Networking (PAN) working group. Information on Red-M can be found at www.red-m.com.
BT Ignite Solutions
BT Ignite Solutions is the e-business and communications solutions unit within BT Ignite. The business provides solutions to help its clients to optimise customer value in an IP-enabled world.
Providing consultancy, e-business, e-CRM and network-centric applications, BT Ignite Solutions delivers and manages solutions on behalf of many of the world`s largest and most respected organisations. With current annual run rate revenues of more than lb1.4 billion, BT Ignite Solutions is the largest provider of managed and outsourced network and IT solutions in the UK. It has more than 27 000 customers ranging from mid-sized companies to multi-national organisations in 92 countries across the globe. For more information, visit: www.btignitesolutions.com
Bluetooth
BluetoothTM wireless technology is set to revolutionize the personal connectivity market by providing freedom from wired connections.
It is a specification for a small form-factor, low-cost radio solution providing links between mobile computers, mobile phones and other portable and handheld devices, and connectivity to the Internet. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, and network industries, is driving development of the technology and bringing it to market.
The Bluetooth SIG includes promoter companies 3Com, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Lucent, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, and more than 2 200 adopter companies.
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