Lucent Worldwide to Deliver Wi-Fi solutions with BelAir Wireless Switch Routers


BelAir Networks Signs Global Agreement with Lucent Technologies



Kanata, Ontario-/19 Jan, 2005 - Wi-Fi Technology News/- BelAir Networks, a leading supplier of wide-area Wi-Fi solutions, announced today that its family of carrier-grade wireless switch routers is now available to service providers, enterprises and government accounts through Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU).

Lucent Worldwide Services (LWS) and BelAir plan to pursue joint business opportunities by making BelAir100 and BelAir200 Wireless Switch Routers available through Lucent?s global sales channels. Lucent Worldwide Services will also enhance BelAir?s offer by providing a full suite of services including deployment, maintenance, professional and managed services.

?At Lucent Worldwide Services we are always looking for innovative solutions from companies like BelAir that help our customers build the most flexible, reliable and cost-effective communications networks,? said Stef van Aarle, Vice President, Marketing and Strategy, Lucent Worldwide Services. ?The combination of BelAir?s products and LWS? Silver-Certified Wireless Network Professionals (CWNP) makes it easy for customers to design, deploy and maintain robust Wi-Fi networks in a matter of weeks.?

Deployed in less than three weeks, the SMITCOMS St. Maarten network is the first joint project between the two companies. The Wi-Fi network, built on BelAir200 units, provides wireless Internet and email access to island residents and the more than 2 million tourists that visit St. Maarten annually. The initial phase of the network covers Frontstreet, the main street in the downtown area in Philipsburg, the Dutch capital of the Caribbean island, and the Boardwalk at the beach. This Wi-Fi coverage zone can be easily extended to other parts of the island by adding additional BelAir200 units to the network as required.

?We?re pleased to be working with Lucent Worldwide Services, one of the industry?s leading network services organization, to bring the BelAir product family to a wider market,? said Bernard Herscovich, President and CEO, BelAir Networks. ?This relationship enables BelAir to address large scale opportunities more effectively and we look forward to working with Lucent to integrate our products into Lucent?s solutions. We are excited by the business opportunities available to both companies as a result of our synergy. ?

The BelAir200 is a four-radio, wireless switch router that enables wireless networks with the highest network capacity and broadest reach especially in challenging deployments such as high-density metro centers. The BelAir200 access radio modules use the 2.4 GHz band to support Wi-Fi client access. Separate 5 GHz backhaul radio modules create the point-to-point links that form the wireless backhaul mesh that interconnects all of the BelAir nodes. The resulting system delivers unmatched capacity, security and scalability for large-scale wireless applications.

The BelAir100 is a two-radio wireless switch router that accepts the same radio modules as the BelAir200. It can be used to terminate a BelAir mesh, as a mesh edge node, or to provide wireless broadband access to single buildings.

Both the BelAir100 and the BelAir200 are currently available through Lucent Technologies.