Duke University's wireless strategy could be model for the enterprise

Duke University's integrated wireless strategy is turning into a model for the enterprise.

The University, which has one of the world's largest Wi-Fi deployments with more than 2,500 Cisco access points spanning 6 million square feet, is working to consolidate its multiple wireless networks and applications that not only include Wi-Fi, but cellular and fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) as well.

It has started the process by expanding its indoor multi-frequency distributed antenna system (DAS) outdoors to plug in cellular coverage gaps. The idea is that other wireless networks Duke has employed might run over the same DAS in the future.

"What everyone really wants in the marketplace is a single system to handle cellular and two-way radio and Wi-Fi," Bob Johnson, senior director of communications infrastructure for the University's campuses and hospitals, told Network World. "We're talking to Cisco about putting Wi-Fi on the hybrid DAS," which has been live since last fall, Johnson said. "We don't want to support multiple [wireless] infrastructures."

Duke uses a DAS from ADC, and it has not yet publicly announced plans for supporting Wi-Fi. The university is also in trials with FMC startups Agito Networks and Varaha Systems to enable Wi-Fi and cellular calls to be handed off across networks so users can roam seamlessly.

For more:
- check out this Network World article

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