Preliminary testing by independent third-party consulting firm Novarum has found that USI Wireless in Minneapolis, Minnesota offers the highest speeds of any metro WiFi network in the U.S. The testing was conducted in December, 2007. Novarum signed BelAir Networks to conduct the independent testing of the USI Wireless Network.

 

“USI Wireless has set a new standard for citywide wireless networks — both in their technology and their business model,” Bernard Herscovich, President and CEO, BelAir Networks, said. “With Public Safety as a key driver of the Minneapolis network, both USI Wireless and the city understood the importance of deploying the highest-performing wireless mesh technology. We’re honored to support this industry-leading network.”

 

The Minneapolis wireless network was set up by USI Wireless and is run by wireless infrastructure equipment from BelAir Networks. The network is now a benchmark for municipal networks, offering world-class speed and reliability. The network has stood the test of time, especially during the I-35W bridge collapse in 2007. The network had recently received the W2i (News - Alert) Digital Cities Wireless Communities Best Practices Award.

 

“Many cities are re-evaluating their requirements for citywide wireless networks and USI Wireless has architected and deployed a state-of-art network that truly delivers performance as advertised,” said Ken Biba, CTO, Novarum. “Our early tests of the USI Wireless network confirm the value that a well-designed wireless network can provide to a city — wireless performance that rivals cable and exceeds both 3G and DSL.”

 

The USI Wireless network has been consistent in offering the highest network performance to the 802.11n and internal 802.11g clients of networks tested by Novarum as part of its Novarum Wireless Broadband Review (NWBR).

 

The audit of USI Wireless’ Minneapolis Network (Phase 1, Zones 1 and 5) conducted by Novarum also found that “laptop clients operating on the network will have service availability rivaling 3G networks in the U.S. with twice the performance.” Additional test results showed low Round Trip Delay (RTD), and, apparently, the network still delivers the best performance for real-time video surveillance applications used by emergency response teams on the bridge collapse site.