Tropos® Networks, the market leader in wireless IP broadband mesh networks and Neomedia, the leading engineering company in the design and deployment of advanced telecommunications infrastructures in Spain, today announced that the City of Girona, Spain has deployed a broadband wireless network. The network currently provides coverage for more than 600,000 square meters of the city's Can Gibert del Pla and Santa Eugenia neighborhoods. This milestone completes the first two phases of Girona's plan to cover the entire 13 square kilometers of the city. Plans are to use the network as the foundation for enabling a range of services that provide benefits to the community.
"Three years ago, we started to look at broadband wireless technology to address the digital divide in Girona as well as provide connectivity for the whole city for a variety of public and municipal applications," said Paco Berta Müller, director of IT Systems and Communications for the City of Girona. "We were impressed with the affordability and the efficiencies that Tropos' networks have provided for communities in other cities around the world. Now, after two years of testing and deployments in Can Gibert del Pla and Santa Eugenia, we are more excited than ever about the power and potential of the network for our city."
The network is already being used by local police for video surveillance of municipal buildings and public areas to increase public safety; for public workers to improve intra office communications; and to provide Internet access to students in neighborhood schools for the first time. The city is also finalizing plans to offer digital access services to the neighborhoods' disadvantaged communities as well as plans to evaluate a variety of other municipal applications.
As part of the video surveillance solution, Tropos MetroMesh™ routers and IP video cameras from Axis Communications, a Troposphere Solution Partner, have been deployed on municipal buildings, city traffic lights, and street lights owned by the city in the Can Gibert and Santa Eugenia neighborhoods. Phase three, now underway, will cover an additional 600,000 square meters. Planned uses going forward include mobile police communications and information access via PDAs and laptops; centralized traffic management and monitoring of public transit vehicles; parking monitoring and management; centralized water control for public gardens; and real-time information for tourists to access on PDAs around town. The network is being funded by the City and Province of Girona, and the Catalan government.
"With the pervasiveness and growing use of Wi-Fi enabled devices such as PDAs, phones and laptops, it is economically attractive for Girona and other cities in Spain to build a multi-service IP foundation for city-wide communications services using wireless mesh technology," said Enrique Moreno Darbonnens, Chief Technical Officer of Neomedia. "We chose the Tropos' MetroMesh system because the company is the leader in this market with proven city-wide, multi-use network deployments in Europe and around the world."
"Girona's decision to deploy the Tropos' MetroMesh solution will profit the community in numerous ways, from increasing public safety and public works efficiencies to bridging the digital divide," said Tom Ayers, president and CEO of Tropos Networks. "By owning and controlling their own broadband network, the city and its people are able to leverage this resource to improve and deliver new community services not possible in the past. We are excited to be a key part of Girona's vision."
About Tropos Networks, Inc
Tropos® Networks is the market leader in wireless IP broadband mesh networks enabling cities and other organizations worldwide to own and control smart, affordable, IP infrastructures for deploying high-value applications that improve the efficiencies of its mobile workers while reducing operational costs. These applications include mobile public safety (for police, fire and EMS vehicles), video surveillance, utility automation and industrial deployments. The patented Tropos MetroMesh™ system delivers the ultimate reliability, scalability, and security at low cost that is required for business critical and life saving wireless applications and is installed in over 30 countries. Founded in 2001, Tropos Networks is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, please visit www.tropos.com, call 408-331-6800 or write to info@tropos.com. Tropos is a registered trademark and MetroMesh is a trademark of Tropos Networks, Inc.
About Neomedia
Neomedia is the market leader in the engineering of wireless Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Wi-Fi Mesh networks in Spain., With proven municipal wireless networks for public organizations (such as government, military departments, etc.), Neomedia provides mobile voice, video, and data services over wireless networks resulting in significant cost savings. Founded in 2003 with private capital, Neomedia is a pioneer in high technology and an innovator in wireless telecommunications. For more information, visit www.neomedia.es
About Girona, Spain
Located in the Catalan region of Northern Spain with over 94,000 residents, Girona is a center of commercial and tourist activity, especially known for its Medieval architecture and historic Jewish neighborhoods. For more information, visit www.ajgirona.cat and www.ajuntament.gi
