The 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games were the first to feature athletes from all 71 Commonwealth countries. The wireless network for the games needed to interconnect and cover 10 different stadiums and 5 hostels throughout Pune. In order to ensure consistent, high-performance wireless connectivity for all participants, a single system that could provide seamless integration between WiMAX capable and Wi-Fi mesh technologies was needed. After evaluating competing systems, IL&FS Ecosmart Pvt. Ltd. selected Proxim.

"To prepare for the largest Commonwealth Youth Games to date, a wireless system was needed that could ensure secure, reliable Wi-Fi connectivity for all of the athletes, officials and attendees throughout all of the facilities," said Mr. Ravi Chillara, CEO of IL&FS Wireless infrastructure and services division of IL&FS Ecosmart Pvt. Ltd. "To interconnect 15 locations and provide connectivity, it was evident we needed a system which incorporated both WiMAX and Wi-Fi mesh seamlessly in one solution. Proxim provided the most cost-effective, easy to use solution, and its unique ability to integrate WiMAX capable and Wi-Fi mesh radios in a single system minimized the number of hops needed in the network."

To connect the 10 stadiums and 5 hostels with a limited number of radios, IL&FS Ecosmart Pvt. Ltd. selected Proxim's Tsunami MP.11 WiMAX capable products to connect multiple subscriber units located at each location to a central base station unit. They then utilized Proxim's ORiNOCO Wi-Fi Mesh series radios to provide both indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi connectivity, which integrated with the Tsunami MP.11 radios, which provided the backhaul to the central backbone. Because all Proxim products (Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi mesh, WiMAX and point-to-point) are designed to work together, IL&FS Ecosmart Pvt. Ltd. was able to deploy the Proxim network easily and efficiently, saving both time and money.

"A lot of people throw around the term 'end-to-end wireless,' but at Proxim, we actually make it happen. This deployment at the Commonwealth Youth Games is an ideal example of networks that need more than just one component of wireless," said Pankaj Manglik, president and CEO of Proxim Wireless. "Rather than purchasing separate WiMAX capable and Wi-Fi mesh solutions that are not designed to work together, Proxim can provide the entire solution, ensuring optimal performance throughout the wireless network. This comprehensive approach is consistent with our focus on meeting the customer's desired connectivity needs rather than forcing a single product or technology on a customer."

The Proxim network successfully supported the entire Commonwealth Youth Games from October 12-18. Though the network was originally designed only to support the event, IL&FS Ecosmart Pvt. Ltd. is now considering building a permanent city-wide wireless network to support more than 30 e-services.

Keywords: commonwealth youth games, pune india, wi fi, nasdaq, Wireless VOIP