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EDMONTON
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FIRST IN CANADA TO
ADOPT CANON’S LATEST FREE SPACE OPTICS SOLUTION
Even in a Record Downpour the Canobeam DT-130
Reigns
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., JANUARY 28, 2005—Edmonton
Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) has installed
Canada’s first Canon Canobeam DT-130 to provide
Gigabit connectivity via Free Space Optics between
its newly renovated offices.
EEDC, an independent corporation owned by the city
of Edmonton, Alberta recently relocated its main offices
to a renovated heritage building 500 meters (547 yards)
down the street. They sought to extend network operations
by implementing a high-speed data link between the
two locations. As it turned out, however, it was too
expensive and difficult to run a fiber connection
between the office buildings.
"Local estimates for new fiber connections were
cost-prohibitive in this instance,” said John
Kratochvil, EEDC’s Director of Information Technology.
“So we began looking for an alternate, innovative
solution.”
Free Space Optics: Many Advantages
EEDC outlined several requirements that any proposed
solution would have to meet. First, they needed a
performance minimum of 100 Mbps. Second, the link
had to be highly secure.
“Security is always a priority as our high-profile
company manages sensitive information,” said
Kratochvil. “For many of our mission-critical
applications we felt radio was simply not secure enough
for our downtown offices because it bounces off everything.”
In addition, the new office was in a city-protected
historical landmark that had been unoccupied for seven
years. The heritage building lacked a data infrastructure
and to build one would have been a very expensive
undertaking. Glentel Inc., a systems integrator for
Canon, brought the Canobeam to Kratchovil’s
attention.“We are excited about the cost savings
and performance enhancements afforded through this
technology,” Brian Napier, Director of Market
Development for Glentel Inc. in Edmonton said. “We
strive to ensure that our clients are able to realize
competitive advantages through their telecommunications
infrastructure. EEDC is enjoying this telecommunications
advantage and is now setting new business communication
standards in Canada.”
“Situations like the one at the EEDC are becoming
more common,” said Bruce Olynik, Area Sales
Vice President for Optelligence Canada, the marketing
support for Canon. “Add the benefits of utilizing
light to transmit data with an affordable price tag,
and Canon has made Free Space Optics a powerfully
viable option for any organization seeking building-to-building
network connectivity.”
Canon's Canobeam Free Space Optics system uses a
line-of-sight beam of light to transmit data at up
to 1.25 Gbps at Gigabit Ethernet speeds. Because Canobeam
does not use radio waves, its use does not require
radio-frequency licenses, it can be set up quickly,
and the data it transmits is secure and can't be intercepted.
In addition, Canobeam's exclusive Auto Tracking function
automatically adjusts the light beam to compensate
for even the slightest variations in the installation
base (due to building or traffic vibrations, temperature
changes, or wind) and maintain a perfect line-of-sight
Free Space Optical connection.
The Canobeam DT-130, which offers economical Gigabit
Ethernet connectivity for a capital investment and
no subsequent usage charges easily met EEDC’s
demanding technical requirements. Glentel Inc. also
had the units up and running in a matter of days.
“The guys at Glentel did a very good job installing
the DT-130 and they provided us with a level of service
that met our expectations,” said Kratochvil.
“Too often technology gives you a suitcase full
of oversized expectations. Canobeam, however, is doing
exactly what Canon said it would at an optimal level.”
Kratochvil added: “What helped seal the deal
for us is the fact that we will end up owning the
equipment. If a similar situation ever occurs again
we can just reposition the Canobeam. It’s a
real win-win scenario for us.”
Trial by Water: Canobeam Put to the Test
Within a few weeks of Canobeam’s installation,
Edmonton experienced a torrential rainfall that significantly
affected much of the city. The 150 millimeters (5.9
inches) of rain that fell in less than two hours put
about one-third of the city under water and was described
by some forecasters as a once-in-200-year storm.
“This storm was enough to put any system to
the test and many parts of the city experienced some
type of communication failure,” said Kratochvil.
“The Canobeam, however, never experienced a
hiccup. Since then I haven’t worried about it
because it’s been so reliable.”
Unintended Consequences: End-to-End Gigabit
Connectivity
There were several benefits from implementing the
Canobeam that Kratochvil did not anticipate. First,
because the Canobeam can transmit 1.25 Gigabits in
either direction, the DT-130 provided a backbone that
gives EEDC end-to-end Gigabit connectivity from their
workstation to their server farm. There are no slow-down
or stalling systems nodes, which can often occur in
networks due to some connections being slower than
others.
In addition, EEDC was able to leave its entire server
farm in its original location and move 75 percent
of its work force to its new building, allowing for
their mission-critical infrastructure to remain off
site. This arrangement meant that the Canobeam enabled
EEDC to provide redundancy without doubling infrastructure
costs.
About Glentel Inc. Glentel Inc.
is a wireless solution provider for consumers, business,
and government. It has to date 92 corporate locations
in Canada, including 82 WirelessWave mall-based multi-network
cellular stores and ten Wireless Business Centres.
Glentel specializes in cellular phones, sales, and
rentals of voice/data wireless radio equipment, engineered
wireless systems, and national Motorola radio service,
and operates corporately owned fixed/mobile terrestrial
and satellite wireless systems in Canada and the United
States. Glentel is an authorized dealer for such companies
as Motorola, Tait, Telesat, Globalstar, Orthogon,
Canon, Zetron, @Road, Bell Mobility, Microcell (Fido),
and Rogers Wireless. For further information: please
contact Dan Lowndes, VP Operations, Wireless Business
Division at (604) 415-6500; or Brian Napier, Director
Market Development, Wireless Business Division at
(780) 732-3415. To request a free copy of this organization's
annual report, please go to www.newswire.ca and click
on reports@cnw.
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business,
and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed
as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America,
and is ranked #35 on the BusinessWeek list of "Top
100 Brands." Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ)
is a top patent-holder of technology, ranking third
overall in the U.S. in 2004, with global revenues
of $33.3 billion. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.
All referenced product names, and other
marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.
EDITORS Please note corporate
contact information for this division:
For more information, please call Canon Broadcast
and Communications Division at 1-800-321-4388 or visit
www.canonbroadcast.com.
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