Lok's LokBox appliance sits between the powerful WAN links servicing the network and the delivery infrastructures (radios, antennas and back-haul equipment). The LokBox appliance is an all-in-one solution that centralizes numerous functions (e.g., authentication and login, edge management, captive portal, billing, traffic shaping, content filtering, policy enforcement, bandwidth management, etc.).
CenturyTel choose the LokBox appliance as its network provisioning and management system because of its rich feature set which allows CenturyTel to design, integrate and manage a single piece of equipment while ensuring customer satisfaction.
"Our goal was to create a municipal Wi-Fi network that is both carrier grade and state-of-the art -- a system that solidifies Vail as a true world-class resort. We wanted the best-in-class equipment and got it. Lok Technology is a key component of the CenturyTel network," said Ron Braden, information technology director, Town of Vail / Vail Public Safety Communications.
The LokBox appliance also allows for the monetization of CenturyTel's service plans to generate revenue along multiple streams allowing flexible public Internet access programs, enhanced security and location-based services.
The Wi-Fi network blankets Vail Valley providing Internet access to public safety and city workers, 5,000 local residents, town businesses, and the 1.4 million guests visiting annually. Anyone can access the network and receive free (limited bandwidth) access in one-hour increments. Users who require more bandwidth or longer access times may subscribe to one of the service offerings managed by the LokBox appliance. The flexible architecture design of the LokBox device will allow CenturyTel to expand or change service offerings quickly as the customer base grows and new needs arise.
To ensure customer satisfaction and that end-users are provided with fast Internet access with no downtime, CenturyTel deployed a dual system high-availability LokBox configuration (LokSafe kit) to ensure there is no single-point of failure and that scheduled or unscheduled downtime has minimal impact to customers.
"We believe this to be the premier Wi-Fi network in the country, if not in the world. CenturyTel and the Town of Vail have built a world-class network for a world-class resort and we are very proud to be an integral part of the deployment," said Keenan Klinger, Lok Technology president.
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Photo by David Benbennick. Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0
