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Communications News, March, 2001 by Sean Kelly

At Canada's Penticton Lakeside Resort and Casino in British Columbia, high-speed e-mail and Internet access for customers was a winning concept; however, cable installation during peak season could disrupt the facilities and disturb the guests--not a gamble the resort could risk.

Penticton's management learned that Lucent Technologies' ORINOCO wireless local area network--less costly than DSL or cabled systems--could be installed in days. Its AS-1000 access server, a key component, is designed to provide network/Internet access for mobile and terminal users in difficult-to-wire locations and in public places.

The system, using the unlicensed 2.4GHz ISM radio band, requires a mix of wireless access servers and user terminals with ORINOCO PC cards. Guests receive the card, an encryption key--generated at the local server rather than at the network level--and a user name and password at registration. The card can be integrated into laptops, PC notebooks and hand-held computers without affecting current settings. The Internet Client Software enables the card to be used as a remote station in a multipoint network, wirelessly connecting to an access server anywhere within a radius of up to 1,200 feet.

A single server provides up to 11 Mbps Internet access for up to 50 simultaneous users. Ten networked servers support up to 500 terminals and provide seamless coverage throughout the resort's hotel rooms, convention center, meeting rooms, outside patio areas and the marina.

www.lucent.com\orinoco

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