Extended Stay Hotels found that its wired T1 lines weren't up to speed for its high-speed Internet access needs so it opted to deploy fixed-wireless data connections from Airband Communications at many of the chain's properties.
Airband claims its fixed-wireless network delivers six times the bandwidth of a wired T1 line, providing 9 MB to 15 MB to each Extended Stay property. The service provides up to GigE speeds and can accommodate large meetings and conferences, where high data usage is the norm.
Extended Stay has 685 properties in the U.S. and Canada, and chose to deploy Airband's services rather than adding additional T1s to each property at a higher cost, the companies say.
The Airband solution also was a good fit for Extended Stay because some of its properties are located outside major urban areas, where existing fiber and broadband networks are sparse, says Ira Greenfield, vice president, technology at Extended Stay.