BOSTON
The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) announced it is beginning work on a $2.6 million wireless infrastructure overhaul at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC). The upgrade will increase the number of existing wireless access points from 113 to at least 580, translating to a 413 percent increase in available access points.
The MCCA, which claims to be one of the first organizations in the meetings industry to offer completely complimentary and reliable wireless Internet service at its facilities, has upgraded the wireless infrastructure at the BCEC four times since 2004.
The implementation of this wireless network will mark a complete overhaul of the original wireless infrastructure, and a transition from a traditional “coverage” wireless system, which focuses on signal strength over a wide area, to an advanced “high-density” system.
The new system will increase the BCEC’s wireless capacity, sending focused beams of wireless connectivity. More powerful access points enable more users to connect per access point, resulting in significantly improved signal strength.
The MCCA enlisted the help of three wireless systems experts to help guide the BCEC upgrade project, including Neil Reid & Associates, M S Benbow & Associates, and Aruba Networks.
Neil Reid & Associates assisted the MCCA in studying the current wireless infrastructure at the BCEC and evaluating the best solution for its customers. Neil Read is an internationally respected thought leader in wireless design whose resume includes the design, deployment, and maintenance of mega-Wi-Fi projects including the 2012 London Summer Olympics and several Super Bowls. In the BCEC wireless upgrade project, Reid played a key role in vendor and technology selection, as well as the development of a deployment plan.
Installation of the new BCEC wireless infrastructure is currently underway, with the project slated to be complete for live-testing and phased implementation in May through September of 2015. Also in 2015, the MCCA will begin developing a plan for a wireless upgrade at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center for installation in 2016.
In addition to this major wireless system upgrade, the MCCA is currently undertaking a $1 billion, 1.3-million-square-foot expansion of the BCEC, alongside other technological upgrades. The MCCA is also in the process of forming a technology advisory group comprised of meeting technology experts and meeting planners to design not just for today’s technology standards, but for the future of meetings technology 20 years from now.
The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority owns and oversees the operations of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA and the Boston Common Parking Garage.
