News

Wireless Hot Spots For Kingston

Financial Gleaner
Friday, May 7, 2004

Copia Wireless Communications has signed an agreement with Casson’s to launch its first “Hot Spots” this month in the corporate area. The Hot Spot programme is a Copia initiative to make wireless Internet connection available where business people meet outside of work.

For instance, at a business meeting at a restaurant executives can check on email or show clients a web site on laptops with use of a Wi-Fi compatible PC card for connection and a prepaid card for network access. In the United States and Europe, restaurants and cafes now use Hot Spots to attract customers and to get them to stay longer.

Copia Wireless Communications, is a three-year old full service distributor of wireless networks and VoIP products. Copia has brought wireless Internet access to the Hilton Kingston and the Ritz Carlton in Rose Hall.

Casson’s, a popular New Kingston sports bar and restaurant, will be the first venue of the eight Hot Spots Copia plans to deploy in the corporate area by the end of the year. The deal with Casson’s includes free service for the first 30 days. Proprietor Gary Casson says the wireless access will be the finishing touch on a just finished refurbishing exercise. “Most of our customers are business people and they want the convenience of Internet access in a recreational setting,” says Casson.

After the 30 days of free use, patrons can buy access cards to get a username and password for connection in the Hot Spot. Access cards will be available at all Hot Spot locations and will be configured so that the same username and password can be used at any one of them.

“There is more and more demand for wireless Internet access from business people who are mobile,” says Darryl Wehmeyer, Copia’s Managing Director. “The Hot Spots give people access to the Internet so they can conduct business.” Wehmeyer says he is now scouting other attractive locations for Hot Spots.

The way the system works is that Copia installs a wireless cloud that has a range of 300 feet indoors. The cloud is a Hot Spot with an access point. Copia’s technology consists of a Micronet Wi-Fi radio hooked to an authentication server, with a wireless link from the access point to the company’s office where the backbone is located.

Copia is also the Caribbean distributor of Micronet, a developer of advanced networking solutions.