Alpine World Ski Championship "Bormio 2005" Combines Proxim WWAN & WLAN Solutions to Transmit Real-Time Data and Video

    Proxim Corporation, a leading provider of high-performance wireless local area networking (WLAN) and wireless wide area networking (WWAN) products, today announced that the committee for the Federation of International Skiing (FIS) has selected Proxim to wirelessly network this year's Alpine World Ski Championship at Bormio, Italy, 26 - 29 December.

    Using Proxim's ORiNOCO COR-1100 and ROR-1000 High Speed Wireless Data Networking Systems, high profile ski areas are not only connected but live images and Internet access is available in difficult locations where broadband Internet access is not usually available. The Proxim outdoor routers are designed for point-to-multipoint links and point-to-point bridges operating in the 2.4 GHz band. The system consists of: COR-1100 Central Outdoor Router, ROR-1000 Remote Outdoor Router and the Outdoor Router Client (ORC) software.

    The bridges and routers are connected in one continuous link between the highest peak and the bottom ski village, which is a distance of 3,000 meters.

    "The Proxim wireless mountain network is designed to cope with extreme conditions from temperatures down to 40 degree below zero, and the wireless network provides excellent reliability while delivering high bandwidth on demand," said Mr. Gavin Lyons, technical director for the event.

    Approximately 100 sports media from around the world will be covering the event and using the wireless network to access live coverage from the slopes. The journalists will also be able to access the Internet and email from anywhere in the championship grounds using their laptops or PDAs. The press centre will be constantly connected to the race Finish Area along with the Race Office that will provide results directly over the wireless network. This will help them to speed up their reporting as well as remove the need for them to be out in the cold or in the pressroom away from the action. The indoor area will use the ORiNOCO AP-2000 access point combining Proxim's WAN and LAN products to offer a completely integrated solution.

    Second only to the Olympic ski competition in terms of importance to ski fans, the Alpine World Ski Championship will be held in the renowned Bormio ski resort. There are two main peaks in use for the competition called Bormio 2000 metres and Bormio 3000 metres. The Proxim wireless network stretches over the famous Bormio 3000 metre peak with its unique "Stelvio" slope designed for downhill in the 1985 championships. It is over three and a half kilometres in length, a vertical drop of more than a thousand metres and has an average gradient of more then 30 degrees. The slope is one of the fastest and most demanding courses of the World Cup circuit, with a starting point gradient of 63 degrees. Special cameras that can operate in conditions of minus 30 degrees have been placed on the peaks, along the slopes, at the finishing lines and in the pressroom at the Hotel centre.

    The cameras transmit live images from strategic and panoramic visual points to the pressroom and to hotel guest areas. From there spectators and press alike can check out weather conditions for skiing and see competitors and find out about apres-ski activities and local events, etc. The Proxim wireless LAN will transmit data as well as streaming video at 11Mbps. By using Wi-Fi 802.11b technology, readily available today in most laptops and PDAs, spectators and press will be able to access live race images, race results, critical weather data in real-time at the various peaks. They will also be able to look at images on the Bormio home page and email photographs in real time.

    Commenting on the Proxim Wireless LAN managing director of the FIS Alpine Championship, Mr. Peppe Bonseri said, "This year's ski competition promises to be even bigger and more exciting than previous years. A race can be over in minutes - we want to ensure that spectators and press don't miss a single moment of the excitement, which is why we chose Proxim's Tsunami OR products. Having tested the equipment under our unique weather conditions we knew we'd be guaranteed a reliable wireless connection that will heighten the enjoyment of our visitors."

    Images are already live on the Bormio website and can be viewed by clicking on http://www.bormioonline.com  and http://www.bormio2005.com 

    About Proxim
    Proxim Corporation is a leading provider of high-performance wireless local area networking (WLAN) and wireless wide area networking (WWAN) products. The company holds leading shares in the markets for 802.11b, 802.11a, and license-exempt fixed wireless networking systems. Proxim's systems securely connect networks within buildings as well as between locations up to 40 miles apart, providing enterprises, service providers, and consumers with unprecedented networking capacity and mobility. Proxim Corporation was created by the merger between Proxim, Inc. and Western Multiplex Corporation in March 2002. Its web site is www.proxim.com. 

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