Network vendor 3Com and value-added application service provider iCITI have released details regarding the development of the Gigabit Ethernet network that wires Century City, a mixed-use 260 hectare complex in Cape Town.
Century City already sports over 400 shops in its Canal Walk shopping centre and the Ratanga Junction entertainment complex. It is also zoned for two more hotels in addition to the Southern Sun, which is already operating on the premises, as well as one million square metres of office space, and a 3 700-unit residential estate.
iCITI notes that the one major challenge it faced when designing the network was what applications it should offer to its diversified clientele. "For us as a service provider, the question was how do we find a common thread through all those focus areas to provide value? And how do we do that on a profitable basis?" asks Alan West, CEO, iCITI.
One of the first services the network provides the retailers is a loyalty programme, based on magnetic strip cards. The loyalty system allows customers to gain and recoup at any one of the participating Century City stores, although currently 60% of the retailers are not involved in the programme.
"The concept was completely new," says West. "We quickly found that it was not comparable to the established overseas developments of smart buildings and MANs (metropolitan area networks) used in urban revitalisation projects."
Another service is the on-site payment gateway, ensuring that every credit card transaction in Century City is performed online, thus combating fraud.
"Clients have asked why we did not design for a fully wireless system," says West. "The fact is that both cost and bandwidth concerns made this impractical."
iCITI is currently wrapping up its first phase of the project, with plans for e-commerce and e-business applications, as well as the development of a data centre, in the next phase. It plans to use the implementation as an international showcase, and does have a presence in Dubai, which could see the company involved in the impending Dubai Internet City project.
John Rea, MD of 3Com`s multi-county region, says: "This is the most exciting project for 3Com anywhere in the world right now. We would like to use it worldwide as a showcase."
The network comprises a number of core backbone nodes (3Com 4007s switches) and multiple access nodes onto the backbone. The network backbone runs Gigabit Ethernet switched through SuperStack II 3300 switches that feed local groups on Cat 5 lines with 10/100 Ethernet. iCITI uses 3Com`s Enterprise Management Engine to manage the network.
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