Avaya, a leading global provider of voice and data networks, today announced that the Dutch first division football club, Willem II, has selected Avaya solutions to introduce wireless internet access at its stadium located in Tilburg, The Netherlands. As a result, the Willem II stadium is the first in the Netherlands to offer wireless internet facilities to visitors. The implementation was completed by Avaya`s BusinessPartner A^2 Networks.
According to Willem II`s Commercial Director, Alex de Coninck, the club is constantly searching for new ways to further improve services to sponsors and visitors, and the wireless Internet project underlines this mission. "Business visitors often go to our business lounges well before the start of a game. Thanks to this innovative project, they may now go on-line to find information on the Internet or check their e-mail. The system is also frequently used by people attending presentations and meetings in the business rooms of the stadium," he said.
Mike van der Weijden, Account Manager, Wireless at A^2 Networks, commented, "This project enables Avaya and A^2 Networks to demonstrate how wireless technology can provide businesses with new possibilities in voice and data communications. This high profile implementation provides tangible evidence that wireless technology is an excellent alternative for wired communications."
A^2 Networks began the project by an assessment of the stadium`s environment to determine how many wireless access points were needed for an optimal connection. Avaya Wireless AP-1 Access Points provide a wireless connection of 11 megabits per second, with notebooks that are equipped with Avaya Wireless network cards. 128-Bits RC4 encryption is used to secure the connections, which are based on the 802.11b standard.
Willem II will evaluate the wireless internet project at the end of this year`s football season to establish whether the club can also use the technology for other purposes, including the possibility of offering extra internet services before, during and after matches and also on days other than match days. The same would be applicable to email, intranet services and voice applications.
Avaya, committed to serving the enterprise voice and data communications market at large business and small-to-medium-sized enterprise (SME) level, offers enhanced levels of support to its BusinessPartner network and plans to increase significantly the proportion of sales made through its BusinessPartners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Through this strategy, Avaya expects to better anticipate the needs and requirements of the market and to strengthen its position in the enterprise market for communications solutions.
Ron van Ommeren, BusinessPartner Director, Avaya Netherlands, said, "Avaya`s trust in its BusinessPartners is based on high quality standards and A^2 Networks is an important wireless technology partner. By offering Avaya Wireless solutions, A^2 has been able to offer Willem II a new, innovative solution, meeting with the clubs` intention to offer more distinctive services to sponsors and business-relations."
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Avaya Inc., headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., is a leading global provider of voice and data networks as well as communications solutions and services that help businesses, government agencies and other institutions - including more than 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500 -- excel in the customer economy. Avaya offers Customer Relationship Management Solutions, Unified Communication Solutions, Service Provider Solutions, MultiService Networking Infrastructure, and Converged Voice and Data Networks - including the company`s no-compromise Avaya Enterprise-Class IP Solutions (ECLIPS) - all supported by Avaya Services and Avaya Labs. Avaya is the worldwide leader in unified messaging, messaging systems, call centers and structured cabling systems. It is the U.S. leader in voice communications systems and services. Avaya is an official sponsor for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Women`s World Cup 2003 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup tournaments. For more information about Avaya, visit its Web site at http://www.avaya.com.
A^2 Networks
A^2 Networks offers independent network expertise and has offices located in Best, Amstelveen, Rijswijk, Hengelo, (Ov), Meerssen (Netherlands) and Mechelen (Belgium). A^2 Networks provides turnkey solutions for small and medium sized businesses, for government and other institutions. A^2 Networks focuses on network performance, required by their customers for optimal achievements. It delivers network-concepts, network-equipment and cable-infrastructures. A^2 Networks also directs planning, implementation and guarantees pro-active network management as well as provides support and training the end-users. A^2 Networks fulfils a co-ordinating and directive role. More information about A^2 Networks can be found on www.a2-networks.com.
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