BCX NETWORKS partners GOOGLE to deploy University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) Wireless Network Infrastructure
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
The S.I. industry has news that BCX, a technology partner, will use products from WAVION and XIRRUS to deploy and achieve a high-capacity wireless mesh (wifi) for every point on the Nsukka and Enugu campuses, even on tree tops and tunnels. It is necessary to stress that WAVION wifi radios are the farthest-travelling and most effective wifi base-stations in the world.
Present at the project’s ground breaking ceremony and award of contracts were the Vice Chancellor of the School and other academic staff and students, Nyimbi Odero, Rodwell Zvarayi. the media and stakeholders.
According to the Director of Information Communication and Technology/Innovation Centre of UNN, Dr. Christian Bolu, the project with Monday’s start-up launch would also mark the commencement of the implementation of the institution’s ICT strategy programme. Bolu stated that the project when fully completed would be the largest university wireless network in West Africa. He explained that Google would pay for the international portion of the bandwidth for three years as well as provide a minimum of 25 Mbps per annum.
Google, one of the biggest companies in the world will partner with BCX, HP and Cisco and will provide at least 25Mbps of international internet bandwidth for about 40,000+ users.
Interestingly, SIWES has reportedly contracted all final-year Elect Elect students to BCX for their Industrial attachment for at least 3 months in the knowledge exchange program, as part of the deal, the media was told.
All eyes are on BCX to deliver the solution according to the scope of work and expectations of the public (in terms of benefits) and the hand-over date/ceremony, as the countdown on the School’s official website points to early August, 2010.
We were unable to contact Olugbenga Akano, the Lead Wireless Expert who reportedly designed the network considered to be Africa’s biggest wireless network, and his team. Nigerians should say a big Thank you to Google, HP and Cisco for supporting education in Nigeria and congratulations to UNN, the first to benefit from this google initiative.
Further reading: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/06/01/how-google-mtn-others-connect-in-n3b-unn-wireless-network-project/