Universities Choose Airband's Fixed Wireless Data to Support Booming Demand for High-speed Internet Access.

Schools experiencing better campus-wide performance with Airband's fixed-wireless network

DALLAS & BALTIMORE -- On college campuses, the YouTube Generation is watching videos online, playing their game systems and using Skype to talk to family and friends back home. At the same time, professors are using online videos and other resources as tools to give students the latest information on course topics. To stay ahead of increasing Internet-usage demands, Mount St. Mary's University and Stevenson University are two of the higher education institutions using Airband Communications' fixed-wireless data services to ensure their campuses have reliable and high-performing bandwidth.

Mount St. Mary's University, home to 1,500 students and located an hour from Baltimore and Washington, in the foothills of the Catoctin Mountains in Emmitsburg, Md., chose Airband as its Internet provider because it needed additional high-speed Internet access to support both students' and faculty's increasing Internet usage, and at an affordable cost. By using Airband's fixed-wireless data services, Mount St. Mary's avoids expensive local-loop fees because data is transmitted directly to its campus via Airband's wholly owned, last-mile fixed-wireless network.

"With the majority of our students living on campus, it's vital that we have the bandwidth to support students' Internet needs for their personal use, including Netflix, Hulu and their gaming systems, because we want them to have the same resources here as they do at home," said Bobby Flack, chief information officer at Mount St. Mary's University. "With Airband, students have full availability to high-speed Internet, 24 hours a day and seven days a week because our network can scale on-demand to meet usage needs, without having to run packet-shaping devices or restricting access of any applications."

Airband provides high-capacity Internet access on its fixed-wireless network to meet Mount St. Mary's student life and academic online needs, including the use of hosted applications. Flack said that universities are increasingly leveraging hosted applications, such as email and course management systems, to enhance student and faculty services with added features and functionality. Mount St. Mary's has a second campus in Frederick, Md., and Airband provides a point-to-point high-bandwidth wireless circuit that interconnects the two campus locations so the Frederick campus can connect to the university's VoIP system and trusted applications without a VPN arrangement.

"As a smaller university, we need the same bandwidth as larger schools to use the same best-of-breed hosted applications, and Airband allows us to do that in a cost-effective manner. Airband has proven a trusted partner in providing reliable, high-speed Internet access as well as great customer service," said Flack.

Like Mount St. Mary's University, Stevenson University chose Airband's fixed-wireless data services when it needed additional bandwidth to stay ahead of the growing Internet demand on campus. Located near Baltimore in Stevenson, Md., the university is using Airband's high-speed Internet to support classroom needs, students' entertainment activities and online classes.

"Whether it's a professor using a streaming video in their lecture or teaching an online class reaching students all across the world, the Internet is integral to the delivery of education. We chose Airband's fixed-wireless Internet access because it can rapidly deliver the additional bandwidth we need in a cost-effective way," said Thomas Allen, chief information officer at Stevenson University. "Even during snow storms, rain or heavy fog, Airband has provided us with the reliable, high-performance bandwidth we need for us to best serve our students and faculty."

Universities like Mount St. Mary's and Stevenson benefit from Airband's fixed-wireless Internet access because it is an affordable and scalable alternative to wireline options. Airband delivers high-bandwidth Internet access via its wholly owned, fixed wireless network, which bypasses the local phone and cable infrastructure, meaning universities don't have to pay the additional cost of the local loop.

Airband serves 17 markets across the U.S. including Atlanta; Austin; Baltimore; Dallas; Des Moines; Fort Lauderdale; Fort Worth; Houston; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Miami; Orange County, Calif.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; San Antonio; San Diego and Washington, D.C.

About Airband

Airband Communications, Inc. is the largest fixed-wireless voice and data provider for businesses in the U.S. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of high-speed Internet access, point-to-point data services, Voice over IP, security and other managed solutions - delivered over one of the industry's most scalable last-mile networks. Airband bypasses the local phone and cable companies to provide faster provisioning intervals, immediate scalability and complete redundancy for its customers. Thousands of businesses nationwide already count on Airband for their broadband service. For more information, please visit www.airband.com.