Sprint will deploy an enhanced in-building and campus cellular network that enables those with Sprint phones and mobile devices to have seamless voice and data connectivity throughout the Danforth Campus, announced Andrew D. Ortstadt, associate vice chancellor for information services and technology.
The new on-campus network is scheduled to debut in the fall of 2011 and will include 58 Danforth Campus facilities. The network is specifically designed to support cellular service inside buildings, basements, tunnels and other spaces that typically do not receive a strong cellular signal.
Service from other cellular carriers, such as Verizon and AT&T, will not be disrupted or affected by the new Sprint network.
“Washington University students, faculty and staff increasingly rely on mobile devices for voice, data and applications,” Ortstadt says. “With Sprint’s new on-campus network, highly reliable cellular services will be available in nearly all Danforth Campus buildings and interior spaces.
“This level of cellular service means that students can reliably use their Sprint smart phones to make calls, text and access Internet resources while on the Danforth Campus,” Ortstadt says. “University and security staff can also rely on their Sprint devices when they work in lower levels of buildings and other hard-to-reach places.
“Over time, we will have the opportunity to expand this level of service to other carriers in targeted areas,” Ortstadt says.
When it is deployed this upcoming fall, the new on-campus network also will allow Sprint customers to use the Sprint data network as an alternative to the university’s WiFi network for Internet access, easing the demand on the university’s WiFi. Ever-increasing demands for Internet access are a continuous challenge for the university’s network team, Ortstadt says.
WUSTL selected Sprint among other wireless carriers to create an on-campus network because it offered the most innovative plan and best overall value for its services, says Jan Weller, assistant vice chancellor for information services and technology.
The university’s Offices of Information Services & Technology and Facilities Planning & Management will work closely with Sprint to ensure network infrastructure does not detract from the campus’ architectural and historic feel or interfere with sensitive research equipment.
“Sprint brings extensive experience in designing and deploying in-building and campus networks and a variety of application solutions that will blend with the Washington University in St. Louis’ environment and create new value for a highly mobile population,” says Tim Donahue, Sprint’s vice president of industry solutions.
The university also has purchasing agreements in place with Sprint and other cellular carriers. For more information on the discounts available to WUSTL students and employees on cellular services, including Sprint services, visit purchasing.wustl.edu and click on “Staff Discounts” on the left-hand side of the page.
For more information about the Sprint on-campus network, contact Weller at jweller@wustl.edu.