VailNet Puts Edwards Business Community on the Net

The Situation
Edwards, Colorado, is one of the fastest growing communities in Eagle County, which is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. Recent development in Edwards has created a commercial core of over dozen buildings covering over 50 acres.

The Problem
As more businesses have moved into the Edwards area, the need for Internet access has grown exponentially. Multi-user businesses in multi-tenant buildings posed logistical and cost problems for both users and ISPs. Although the copper-based infrastructure within the area was sufficient to handle many needs, high-speed multi-user Internet access through traditional copper technology such as DSL, ISDN or T1, wasn't always available or feasible

VailNet Solution
As more users contacted VailNet for high-speed Internet access, it became apparent that a combination wireless/copper solution was called for in Edwards. The relative physical compactness of the area, combined with the high concentration of multi-user clients meant that users could share centralized hardware. In cases where a strong signal was available, wireless was the solution of choice. In other locations VailNet used more traditional wire-based high-speed solutions like frame-relay, T1, or ISDN.

Benefits of the combined wireless/copper solution included cheaper installation costs for both clients and VailNet; faster installation times; and a more reliable and robust wireless network.

An added benefit of the extensive use of the wireless network is that it is also available for residential use, enabling many residents in Edwards to access the Internet at speeds of up to 28 times that of a dial-up modem.

The Result
The Edwards business community is now one of the most high-speed Internet-connected locations in Eagle County. The combination of a wired and wireless network in Edwards allow VailNet to support hundreds of users at the same time, all of whom have simultaneous high-speed access to the Internet at costs that can actually be significantly less than dial-up service, a prime consideration for even small clients.

One of VailNet's first clients in Edwards was the Jimmie Heuga Center. "We really don't think about our relationship with VailNet, which is the highest testimony an ISP can have," commented Kelly Graham, Director of Marketing at the Jimmie Heuga Center in Edwards. "We have as fast a connection as we can get, and we never have to worry about whether it's going to work. We get all the functionality with none of the hassles."

Currently, VailNet has over two dozen clients in the Edwards area including: