May 2002 — ConnectEd
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Case Study: Franklin County District Goes Wireless
Since turning on the network in December 2000, each school can easily support a 30-station computer lab. The wireless network also is creating connections of a different sort. Franklin County students are participating in virtual classrooms with students from other counties as well as other cities, states and countries. At the same time, the wireless network has allowed Franklin County to save 75 percent on monthly operating costs for telecommunication services. It eliminated $6,000 in monthly access fees and router rentals, which brought operating costs to about $2,000 a month. Leisy expects to recoup the cost of the network within three years of its launch. Another benefit is that the wireless network allows for more efficient use of her technology staff's time, because they can remotely conduct upgrades and repairs from the servers in the district's central office.
Leisy and her staff already are planning to expand the network. To accommodate the county's fast-growing population, the district is building a new elementary school that it expects to bring onto the network this summer. "No matter how big the pipe is, the demand expands," says Leisy.
Contact Information
Proxim Corp.
Sunnyvale, CA
(800) 258-8383
www.proxim.com
