Cambria Connected Project Overview
JOHNSTOWN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cambria County announced today that it will build a county-wide multi-service communication network as a part of a mandated Federal Communications Commission (FCC) public safety communication network overhaul. The new network, which incorporates CONXX™ technology in its core, will allow the county to have a single high-performance network for county government, education, public safety, commercial and residential communication services. PJ Stevens, County Commission president, said, “The county will be able to eliminate most of its own monthly communication costs, and at the same time create opportunities for economic development and better government and public safety services.”
“The county will be able to eliminate most of its own monthly communication costs, and at the same time create opportunities for economic development and better government and public safety services.”
The CONXX platform is a telecommunication-grade infrastructure deployed wirelessly. Its advanced security features and architecture enable the network to safely and effectively provide a variety of services to a diverse user community. The CONXX platform has been operating successfully since 2003 as AllCoNet 2 in Allegany County, Maryland. This proven network received the ‘Smart Practice’ designation from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) in 2006, and has been the only municipal network to receive this designation (www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/nims_smart_practice.shtm).
The new public safety communication platform is a M/A-COM system provided through TransCore, based in Harrisburg, Pa. The system will be tightly integrated into the CONXX backbone and will improve coverage in areas where public safety communications has been a longstanding problem. “When we found that we had to upgrade our public safety system, I was concerned about the cost,” said Brian Feist, director of Emergency Services for Cambria County. “We needed to find a system that would not only fix our public safety problems, but could also address some of the bigger communication issues. We wanted to leverage the investment and I think we succeeded.”
The Cambria network will also provide opportunities for economic development and lower costs for business communication services. “The core backbone of the network is designed to have the reliability of a carrier network,” said Jeff Blank, chief technical officer of CONXX and creator of AllCoNet. “The quality and reliability of this network make it a great choice for both large and small businesses for primary data, voice communications and Internet.”
The county commissioners also wanted to improve broadband Internet access for residents. The Cambria County network includes the deployment of metro Wi-Fi in several communities throughout the county with the newest of Wi-Fi technology from Wavion. The Wavion WS410 Access Point provides exceptional economic benefits unmatched by any traditional metro-Wi-Fi Access Point. Where Wi-Fi is not available, residential and business customers can still get access through fixed wireless connections to the network. “This project is an additional market validation of the exceptional value of Wavion’s technology combined with the CONXX architecture,” said Benny Zilberstein, corporate vice president of Sales and Marketing for Wavion.
“Cambria County has demonstrated their innovative spirit with this network,” said David Kartchner, president of CONXX. “This is the ideal solution for rural counties, and provides a way for Cambria to really shine.”
Commissioner Stevens adds, “We are very pleased with the capabilities this new network gives the County. It will provide broadband in areas of our county where it is most needed, and it brings Cambria County into the 21st Century of communications.”
Submitted: April 23, 2007
Ilumina Business Associates on behalf of the Cambria County Commissioners
References: PJ Stevens, President Commissioner Milan Gjurich William Harris Brian Feist, Executive Director Cambria County Department of Emergency Services David Kartchner, President and CEO Conxx Trent Tanner, Cambria County Project Coordinator
About CONXX
Founded in 2004, CONXX has developed network architecture and infrastructure to help rural communities overcome both digital and economic divides. The CONXX Carrier Communication Platform™ combines carrier-grade telecommunications technology at the core with cost-effective Ethernet technology at the edge. The CONXX Carrier Communication Observer™ is a full-service, web-based network management and operating support system for municipal networks. The privately held company’s wired and wireless networks support multiple services and service providers. CONXX is headquartered in Cumberland, Maryland, and maintains a regional office in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, visit http://www.conxx.net.
About TransCore
TransCore operates as a unit of Roper Industries, a market-driven, diversified growth company with 2006 revenues of $1.7 billion, a market capitalization of over $4 billion, and is a component of the S&P MidCap 400 and Russell 1000 Indexes. With products and installations in 46 countries, more than 100 patents worldwide, and pioneering applications of radio frequency and satellite communications technologies, TransCore’s expertise is unparalleled in the markets it serves. The company’s 70-year heritage supporting the transportation industry spans a range of offerings for public safety, traffic management, toll, airport, parking, access control, rail, intermodal, trucking, and homeland security markets. In 2006, Engineering News-Record (ENR) ranked TransCore No. 57 out of the Top 500 Design Firms and No. 11 for firms that specialize in transportation. For more information on the company, visit www.transcore.com.
About Wavion
Wavion is transforming the metro Wi-Fi market with a new category of spatially adaptive access point. The company’s digital beamforming and SDMA technologies are the first and only to resolve the significant performance, penetration and profitability challenges facing metro Wi-Fi deployments. Wavion is privately held and backed by world-class investors including Sequoia Capital, Tel Aviv-based Elron Electronic Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq:ELRN), Star Ventures, and BRM Capital. Wavion has offices in Silicon Valley and Yoqne’am, Israel. To learn more, please visit Wavion at http://www.wavion.net.
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